DES MOINES, Iowa — On Friday, Iowa made history by becoming the first state in the United States to remove gender identity protections from its civil rights code. Governor Kim Reynolds signed the bill into law, sparking outrage and concern from LGBTQ+ advocates who fear it will expose transgender individuals and other Iowans to discrimination in all aspects of their daily lives.
The new law, which will go into effect on July 1, follows a series of actions from Reynolds and Iowa Republicans aimed at restricting the rights of transgender students. This includes limiting their access to bathrooms and locker rooms and prohibiting their participation in sports teams. These policies were put in place to protect individuals who were assigned female at birth. However, Republicans argue that these policies cannot coexist with a civil rights code that includes gender identity protections.
The bill was introduced just last week and passed quickly, without much debate. It also includes explicit legal definitions of female and male, based on their reproductive organs at birth. This rejects the idea that a person can transition to another gender. A similar bill was proposed by Reynolds last year, but it did not make it to a vote in the House or Senate.
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, “It’s common sense to acknowledge the obvious biological differences between men and women. In fact, it’s necessary to secure genuine equal protection for women and girls.” She also argued that the previous civil rights code “blurred the biological line between the sexes.”
This move by Iowa follows President Donald Trump’s executive order, signed 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, posting about it on Thursday after it received final approval from the Iowa House and Senate.
However, not all lawmakers were in favor of the bill. Five House Republicans joined all Democrats in voting against it. Iowa State Representative Aime Wichtendahl, who is transgender, shared her personal story before the vote, wiping away tears as she spoke. She said, “I transitioned to save my life.” Wichtendahl also stated, “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 sum total of every anti-trans and anti-LGBTQ+ bill is to make our existence illegal.”
Hundreds of LGBTQ+ advocates gathered at the Capitol rotunda on Thursday to protest the bill. They waved signs that read “Trans rights are human rights” and chanted slogans such as “No hate in our state!” The rotunda was heavily guarded by state troopers, and there was a heavy police presence. The few protesters who remained for the final passage of the bill were emotional.
Iowa is now the first state in the U.S. to remove nondiscrimination protections based on gender identity, according to Logan Casey, director of policy research at the Movement Advancement Project, an LGBTQ+ rights think tank. Sexual orientation and gender identity were not originally included in the state’s Civil Rights Act of 1965. They were added in 2007 by the Democratic-controlled Legislature, with the support of about a dozen Republicans.
Representative Steven Holt, the House Republican who moved the bill on Thursday, argued that if the Legislature can add protections, it can also remove them. As of July 1, Iowa’s civil rights law will only 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 led advocacy groups to promise to defend transgender rights, which may result in legal action.
Keenan Crow, director of policy and advocacy for LGBTQ+ advocacy group One Iowa, stated that the organization is still analyzing the text of the bill. He also expressed concern about its vagueness and how it will be enforced. Crow said, “We will pursue any legal options available to us.” It is clear that the fight for transgender rights in Iowa is far from over.
