In ancient Rome, Emperor Elagabalus defied gender norms and became a lightning rod for outrage as a result. His persecution and assassination served a political purpose: to divert attention from a crumbling, corrupt empire.

Centuries later, from 1940 to 1960, the “Lavender Scare” saw thousands of federal employees purged for being gay. Once again, fear triumphed over reason, and the true sources of instability were ignored.

We like to think we’ve grown more sophisticated, and that with knowledge comes empathy. But in Iowa — my home state, once a national leader in civil rights — the same cynical playbook is being dusted off and weaponized against transgender people.

On Feb. 28, Iowa became the first U.S. state to remove gender identity from its civil rights code. This stripped transgender Iowans of legal protection in employment, housing, education and public life. Lawmakers framed the bill as an effort to “protect girls” — a rhetorical move designed to pit one group of children against another. Opponents of the bill have called it a rollback of civil rights protections in Iowa.

As a child and adolescent psychiatrist practicing in Iowa, I see the fallout firsthand. Transgender youth already face higher rates of depression, anxiety and suicide. And national data shows that LGBTQ+ youth who have even a single accepting adult in their lives are 40% less likely to report a suicide attempt in the past year.

Even though Iowa’s gender-affirming care ban does not take effect until July 1, many of my patients are already feeling its impact. Families are scrambling to secure care across state lines, with some traveling five hours or more. The result is a logistical and emotional crisis — especially for those with limited financial means.

In addition to this care ban, Iowa and other states have also passed laws removing books from school libraries, further isolating LGBTQ+ students and sending a chilling message about who belongs.

This is no longer about policy disagreements. It’s about exploiting fear to win power. It’s about provoking emotional responses for political gain, regardless of the real-world consequences.

Why pick on transgender youth? Because they are politically convenient targets. They are misunderstood by many, and easy to frame as threats rather than kids simply trying to exist. Politicians understand this. They are using our evolutionary biology against us. The amygdala — the brain’s fear center — responds strongly to the unfamiliar, stirring emotional momentum even when there’s no logical reason to be afraid.

Real problems, including climate change, school shootings, health care and poverty, are difficult to address. They demand complex solutions and long-term commitment. It’s easier to redirect public anxiety toward a vulnerable group than to confront those systemic failures. That redirection is not leadership. It is cowardice.

Many of these same politicians market themselves as champions of “family values” or “mental health,” but there is nothing mentally healthy about dehumanizing children. There is no family value in forcing parents to flee their home state to protect their kids.

We must stop pretending this is a debate between equals. It is not. This is a test of moral clarity. Either we believe that all children deserve safety, dignity and access to care, or we don’t.

Real strength doesn’t look like cruelty. It looks like listening to families. It looks like being willing to evolve. It looks like standing up when it’s hard, not piling on when it’s easy.

This moment is not just about Iowa. It’s about whether we are willing to name cruelty when we see it. Whether we’re brave enough to remember that what’s popular isn’t always what’s right — and what’s right is rarely easy.

If we want to preserve anything good about this country, it will require more than slogans. It will require action and discernment. Most of all, it will require people who have the courage to protect those who cannot protect themselves.

____

Rustin Licht, M.D., is a board-certified child and adult psychiatrist practicing in Iowa. He writes about mental health, education and the emotional impact of media and politics on vulnerable populations. This column was produced for Progressive Perspectives, a project of The Progressive magazine, and distributed by Tribune News Service.

_____

©2025 Tribune Content Agency, LLC.