DES MOINES, Iowa — Iowa has made history by becoming the first state in the United States to remove gender identity protections from its civil rights code. On Friday, Governor Kim Reynolds signed into law a bill that has sparked widespread outrage and concern among LGBTQ+ advocates.
The new law, which will go into effect on July 1, has been met with strong opposition from the transgender community and their allies. It follows a series of actions taken by Reynolds and Iowa Republicans to restrict the rights of transgender students, including their use of bathrooms and locker rooms, and their participation in sports teams. The bill is being touted by Republicans as a necessary step to protect individuals assigned female at birth, claiming that gender identity protections cannot coexist with their policies.
The bill was introduced just last week and passed quickly, with Reynolds proposing a similar bill last year that did not make it to a vote. The new law also includes explicit legal definitions of female and male based on their reproductive organs at birth, rejecting the idea that a person can transition to another gender.
In a video posted on social media, Reynolds explained her decision to sign the bill, acknowledging that it is a “sensitive issue for some.” She stated that it is “common sense to acknowledge the obvious biological differences between men and women” and that it is necessary to secure equal protection for women and girls. Reynolds also claimed that the previous civil rights code “blurred the biological line between the sexes.”
The bill has received support from President Donald Trump, who signed an executive order on his first day in office to formalize a definition of the two sexes at the federal level. This has led several Republican-led legislatures to push for laws defining male and female. Trump showed his support for the Iowa bill on his Truth Social platform, after it received final approval from the Iowa House and Senate.
However, the bill has faced strong opposition from Democrats, with five House Republicans joining all Democrats in voting against it. Iowa State Representative Aime Wichtendahl, who is a transgender woman, shared her personal story before the vote, stating that she transitioned to save her life. She also expressed her concerns about the bill, saying that its purpose is to “further erase us from public life and to stigmatize our existence.” Wichtendahl’s emotional speech was met with tears and support from her fellow Democrats.
The Capitol rotunda was filled with hundreds of LGBTQ+ advocates on Thursday, waving signs and chanting slogans such as “Trans rights are human rights” and “No hate in our state!” The atmosphere was tense, with a heavy police presence and state troopers stationed around the rotunda. The few protesters who remained for the final passage of the bill were visibly emotional.
While not all states include gender identity in their civil rights codes, Iowa is now the first in the U.S. to remove nondiscrimination protections based on gender identity. This has been confirmed by Logan Casey, director of policy research at the Movement Advancement Project, an LGBTQ+ rights think tank.
It is important to note that sexual orientation and gender identity were not originally included in Iowa’s Civil Rights Act of 1965. They were added in 2007 by the Democratic-controlled Legislature, with the support of around a dozen Republicans across both chambers.
Representative Steven Holt, the House Republican who moved the bill on Thursday, stated that if the Legislature can add protections, they can also remove them. As of July 1, Iowa’s civil rights law will 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 discrimination based on sex includes discrimination based on gender identity. This has raised concerns among advocacy groups, who have promised to defend transgender rights and may take the matter to court.
Keenan Crow, director of policy and advocacy for LGBTQ+ advocacy group One Iowa, stated that they are still analyzing the text of the bill and that its vagueness makes it difficult to determine where enforcement will come from. He also added that they will pursue all legal options available to them.
In conclusion, the passage of this bill has sparked widespread outrage and concern among the LGBTQ+ community and their allies. It is seen as a step backwards in terms of progress and equality, and many are worried about the potential discrimination and harm it may cause. However, advocacy groups are determined to fight for transgender rights and will not back down in the face of this
