1. United States
2. Iowa
3. Letter

Stop using transgender people as a political punching bag. Josh Turek's recent ad calls for banning all federally funded gender-affirming care, a policy that would gut Medicaid, Medicare, VA care, and ACA-subsidized coverage for transgender people across the country. That is not a moderate position. That is a "transgender Hyde Amendment," a policy pushed by the most extreme voices in Republican politics, and it has no place in a Democratic campaign. Gender-affirming care is health care. It is supported by every major medical association, and restricting federal funding for it does not protect anyone. It just makes life harder and more dangerous for transgender people who already face enormous barriers. Tyler Hack of the Christopher Street Project put it plainly: this stance is cruel and electorally misguided. Julia Serano was right that ads like this divide the very coalition needed to win. Obama's endorsement means Turek does not need to scapegoat a vulnerable community to stay competitive. Other Democrats in tough races have refused to go down this road. I expect the same. Reject this rhetoric and stand with transgender Iowans.