We are overworked, underpaid, and indebted students and workers of Iowa City refuse to stand by and watch as our rights and freedoms to bodily autonomy and basic health are revoked undemocratically. These attacks on bodily autonomy are yet another example of the class war that's being waged against the working class and marginalized identities in the United States.

We join the national DSA campaign for Transgender Rights and Bodily Autonomy. Trans and reproductive rights are under ferocious attack across the nation and right here in Iowa. In 2023, over 500 bills were introduced in state legislatures across the country attacking trans rights, while the Republican Party in Iowa passed a 6-week abortion ban and Republicans have been agitating for a national ban. We cannot rely on the capitalist political parties to fight for our rights. We cannot wait for the Democratic Party to mount a serious challenge to these right-wing assaults.

The attacks on our rights and freedoms are intrinsically linked to the capitalist system and are led by reactionary conservative sections in society, encouraged by the ruling class, and implemented through state power, including through the undemocratic United States Supreme Court.

The transgender people, women, pregnant people, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming people have had enough with the dictates of conservative legislation and the indignity of capitalists who silence our voices, and keep us impoverished.

Stand up and show your solidarity with transgender people, nonbinary people, gender nonconforming people, women, and pregnant people. No one is coming to save us, but ourselves!

Our Demands on the national level:

1. That Congress enshrines abortion rights by ending the filibuster and passing the Women's Health Protection Act
2. That President Biden adds 4 pro-choice justices to the Supreme Court, expanding it from 9 to 13 members - while arguing that this alone is not enough to secure abortion rights and trans rights and that the court is inherently undemocratic.
3. That Medicare for All be passed by Congress and signed into law, and that essential components of this legislation be both free abortion, on demand, without apology, and free gender-affirming healthcare including gender-affirming surgeries.
4. That policies including but not limited to free universal childcare, paid family leave, living wages, and affordable housing be signed into law.

Our Demands on the local and state levels:

1. The repeal of all bans and restrictions on our fundamental right to healthcare. Local authorities must refuse to comply with and enforce laws that criminalize people from accessing abortion care and gender-affirming care, including the gender-affirming ban on care for persons under 18 years old.
2. Require healthcare facilities to maintain the confidentiality of patients receiving gender-affirming care and/or reproductive or sexual healthcare and refuse to comply with orders from police departments.
3. Expand and fund non-carceral mental healthcare and crisis care systems, and oppose police involvement.
4. The Repeal of all restrictions on educators' right to teach and students' right to learn including the "Don't Say Gay" law(1), the bathroom law (2), and the trans sports ban (3). Until these laws are repealed, we call on the Iowa City Community School District to refuse to comply with these harmful laws.
5. To enact comprehensive, LGBTQIA+ - inclusive, age-appropriate sex education.
6. The recognition of transgender students' names and pronouns in schools
7. Repeal all union-busting laws and "Right to Work" laws
8. The full decriminalization of sex work and unionization.
9. Add gender identity/expression and sexual orientation protections in all employment contracts
10. Add protections for hairstyles and tattoos
11. Until Medicare for All is achieved: Employment Contracts must include coverage of gender-affirming care (including surgeries and hormones), abortion, and sexual health.
12. Asses a vacancy tax to fund the building of new public housing, and the renovation of existing public housing for climate resiliency.
13. A tenant's bill of rights to end eviction enforcement without just cause, rent control, and a right to counsel for all tenants (including University housing).
14. Ban data centers from releasing information on people accessing abortion and gender-affirming care
15. Allow persons to update their names and genders on social media.
16. Abolition of the prison industrial complex.
17. Until the abolition of the prison industrial complex, provide access to abortion and gender-affirming healthcare.
18. Freeze on hiring additional police officers and freeze the police department's budget.