By Kent Williams, Iowa City
Running statewide in Iowa is a heavy lift for Josh Turek and Rob Sand. I’m sure that they’ve arrived at their position on trans women in sports based on careful study of public opinion, or perhaps sold to them by highly paid political consultants. That’s cool, except for one thing.
They’re dead wrong. Trans athletes are a non-issue. They compete — when allowed — in vanishingly small numbers, and they’ve demonstrated that being trans women confers no physical advantage over “biological females.” The issue is trumped up by Republicans and designed to appeal to the fears and prejudices of conservative voters.
Politicians have to speak plainly to reach voters. The right position can be tough to explain, especially to people who don’t know any trans people, who get their “facts” from conservative cable networks and websites. It would be hard to win people over with the argument that it’s a non-issue, cynically promoted by the other party for political gain. That sounds way too inside baseball. You have to meet voters where they are.
But polls don’t tell you anything about right and wrong. Persecuting trans people is wrong. Taking away their civil rights is wrong. The conservative animus against trans folks is just another example of conservatives, as with immigrants, picking a target to make into the “other,” the threat, the menace, to normal everyday Americans.
It’s a classic political trick: Invent a problem and then say that you’ll solve it. They make up a bunch of lies about trans people and immigrants. They try to make people fear them. Then they take away their rights.
Rob Sand and Josh Turek made a political calculation. They’ve decided to not talk against trans rights in general, but also to not bring them up. And on this one issue of trans athletes, give the conservatives what they want.
But that’s futile. They have plenty more bad-faith arguments to attack you with, so going along with them on trans rights gains you close to nothing.
I wish I lived in a world where political courage was still valued. A politician with courage would address the issue by telling the truth about it. Then they’d call out their opponent’s transphobic positions for what they are.
I can argue this issue until the cows come home but I doubt it will change Josh Turek and Rob Sand’s minds. They’ve got a rough road ahead in a red state, and I’m an old lefty from Iowa City, what do I know? I’ve voted for so many good Democrats that have lost, I’m surprised when I vote for people and they win.
But to Sand, Turek, and anyone else who reads this: There will come a time, in the not too distant future, when the prejudice against trans folks will be recognized for what it is: immoral and cruel. When that moment comes, Rob and Josh will have to look in the mirror and know they sold out some of their most vulnerable constituents, in the vain hope of getting a few Republican and Independent votes.
I want to believe that they are better people than that. And no matter where they end up on trans rights, I hope they defeat their opponents this fall. But sometimes you have to take a stand for what’s right, and right now, they’re sitting on their hands, going along to get ahead.
