Dear Gov. Reynolds,
I thought you should know I learned this morning that my friend of more than 20 years is leaving Iowa. The state where he was born, raised, educated, worked, married, and started a family has rejected him through the homophobic attitudes and rhetoric of its elected officials. He and his husband no longer feel safe or welcome in Iowa where he's lived his whole life. They don’t want to raise their daughter in this hostile environment.
My friend was a homeowner, a well-paid employee, a taxpayer, a community volunteer, and more. This is an unnecessary, regrettable loss for his extended family, his friends, and the community they leave behind. But his first duty is to the well-being and happiness of his family. They will be missed here. Their new community will be blessed.
You wonder why people are leaving Iowa? Look in the mirror! You can’t call your disgrace “protecting children” when families are uprooted from their homes, schools, and loved ones. If my government threatened my very existence and safety, I'd leave, too. When you attack people, you make politics personal! I am not a young man, but I hope to live long enough to see this ugly tide turn back on itself. How many good, productive, caring people will leave Iowa before it does?