As the national debate over transgender rights intensified early this year, Brecker became deeply distressed, his parents said. In February, after disclosing he was having thoughts of self harm, his parents took him to an emergency mental health clinic. Fretting about the future, he began sleeping in his parents’ bedroom.
For now, Brecker and his parents have decided to stay in Iowa and travel out of state for medical appointments.
Mr. Batchelder, who went to law school and has been a stay-at-home father since 2020, said the fight over transgender rights motivated him to become more active in politics, and even to contemplate running for office. As an undergraduate, he served as the chair of his college Republicans organization, but said he has viewed himself as a political independent formost of his adult life.
As the laws were being debated, Mr. Batchelder delivered an impassioned speech under the rotunda in the Capitol in Des Moines, protesting what he saw as an egregious infringement of parental rights. “I will stay and fight for you,” he told fellow demonstrators. “But I need you to stay and fight.”
Ms. Batchelder is less optimistic about the family’s ability to change Iowa. During the debate, some supporters of the ban cited their religious beliefs, which Ms. Batchelder, who leans heavily on her Christian faith, said she saw as a distortion of scripture.
“I come back to what the Bible tells us to do, it tells us to love people above all else,” she said. “None of this is love.”
Leaving Iowa would mean moving away from the children’s grandparents. It would disrupt the routines and friendships of Brecker and his five younger siblings. And the Batchelders say they worry about what next year’s state legislative session might bring.
“If they move into criminalizing this care or punishing parents, we’re out,” Mr. Batchelder said.
Audio produced by Adrienne Hurst.