DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa has become the first U.S. state to eliminate gender identity protections from its civil rights code. The bill, signed into law by Governor Kim Reynolds, is effective July 1 and faces criticism that it could foster discrimination against transgender individuals and others in Iowa.
Reynolds and Iowa Republicans have spent years seeking to limit transgender students’ access to spaces like bathrooms and locker rooms, and their participation in sports teams. Republicans argue that these policies are incompatible with a civil rights code that includes gender identity protections.
The bill was quickly passed after its introduction last week. It provides explicit legal definitions of male and female based on reproductive organs at birth, rejecting the concept of gender transition. Reynolds proposed a similar bill last year, but it did not gain enough support for a vote.
In a social media video explaining her decision, Reynolds acknowledged that the bill was a “sensitive issue for some.” Her statement expressed the view that the existing code blurred biological differences.
President Donald Trump, who has expressed support for the Iowa bill, has also stated that there should be a formal definition for the two sexes at the federal level. This has led to various Republican-led legislatures pushing for laws defining male and female.
Five House Republicans joined all Democrats in the House and Senate in opposing the bill. Rep. Aime Wichtendahl, a Democrat from Hiawatha, shared her personal story as a transgender woman prior to the vote, stating that her transition was “to save my life.”
Wichtendahl said, “The purpose of this bill and the purpose of every anti-trans bill is to further erase us from public life and to stigmatize our existence.” The bill was met with protests. Hundreds of LGBTQ+ advocates gathered at the Capitol, with law enforcement present.
As of July 1, Iowa’s civil rights law will still protect against discrimination based on race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, religion, national origin or disability status. However, Iowa’s Supreme Court has rejected the argument that sex-based discrimination automatically includes gender identity discrimination.
Advocacy groups, such as One Iowa, have stated their intention to analyze the bill and consider legal challenges.
Prior to this change, the state’s Civil Rights Act of 1965 did not include sex-based protections for sexual orientation and gender identity, which were added by the Democratic-controlled Legislature in 2007. The House Republican Rep. Steven Holt, who sponsored the bill to remove the protections, said that if the Legislature can add protections, it can also remove them.
