It is not OK to hate. Neither is it OK to force dissenters to trans ideology into silence.

In response to the Register's editorial published online Jan. 26 regarding legislation that would remove gender identity as a protected class, while identifying gender dysphoria as a disability in Iowa Code, I would offer the following observations.

As chair of House Judiciary, I have, in the past, rejected the idea of removing gender identity as a protected class from code. I knew the reaction from some would be, as you portrayed it in your editorial, suggesting that such action would be a green light to hate and discriminate. Nothing could be further from the truth.

It is not OK to hate, most particularly if the hate results in illegal action, and there are numerous places in Iowa Code and in federal law that prohibit discrimination and violence against individuals, regardless of the reason.  Were this legislation to be enacted, it would in no way make it OK to hate.  It is important to note that 28 states do not have gender identity protections specifically in their code. Yet, in those 28 states, it is still not OK to hate or discriminate against trans people.

It would seem that the original goal in the transgender community to “let me be me,” has had an additional goal added by militants within the movement: “Let me be me, and YOU MUST AGREE.” This is how, in an attempt to protect the rights of the transgender community, this movement has begun to trample on the rights of others.

Unfortunately, placing gender identity as a protected class in Iowa Code years ago has resulted in numerous outcomes that those who supported it may not have envisioned at the time.

It is not OK to hate. It is also not OK that a young female community college student in Iowa was forced to feel uncomfortable and unsafe as a biological male, who identifies as female, stripped and exposed himself in front of her in a women’s changing facility. It is not OK that when she expressed her concerns with this arrangement, she was told by the community college that she would have to find another place to change clothes.

It is not OK to hate. It is also not OK when workers in Iowa are threatened with disciplinary action if they "misgender” someone or use the wrong pronoun, whether intentionally or not. With “gender fluidity” now demanded, this could literally change daily or weekly.

It is also not OK when people with firmly held religious beliefs are forced to use pronouns that do not match with the person’s biological sex. They risk disciplinary action and termination and could have to choose between their job and their religious belief.

These situations exist and are complicated because gender identity is a protected class in the Iowa civil rights code. In numerous instances, this has been shown to be true as Republican legislators have struggled to protect women from militant transgender activism that tramples on their rights and erases the gains we have made for equality.  As countless citizens report challenges in the workplace, unfair advantages in sporting events, and discomfort and fear in changing rooms, they are told that because gender identity is a protected class in Iowa code, their concerns don’t matter.

The number of stories like these that I hear have been steadily increasing. This has led me to the conclusion that we must have this discussion. Our goal is to ensure that everyone, including the transgender community, have their rights protected, and that we should not be fighting discrimination with more discrimination.

We cannot shy away from these difficult discussions any longer. The militants in the transgender movement have relied on forcing dissenters into silence. Iowans who rely on logic and truth risk being called hateful, bigoted, or “transphobic” if they voice their thoughts or concerns out loud.

Fear of having difficult conversations is to the detriment of our society. Neither side should be afraid to come to the table and have an honest, respectful discussion.  It is for these reasons that I assigned the legislation to a subcommittee. The time is past due to speak truth.

Steven Holt represents Crawford and Ida counties and a portion of Shelby County in the Iowa House. He is chair of the House Judiciary Committee.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa law silences anyone who dissents from transgender ideology