Iowa gives final approval to a bill to remove gender identity protections despite massive protests
The bill — the first legislative action in the country to remove nondiscrimination protections based on gender identity — heads to Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds.
DES MOINES, Iowa — Iowa lawmakers became the first in the nation to approve legislation removing gender identity protections from the state’s civil rights code Thursday, despite massive protests by opponents who say it could expose transgender people to discrimination in numerous areas of life.
The measure raced through the legislative process after first being introduced last week. The state Senate was first to approve the bill on Thursday, on party lines, followed by the House less than an hour later. Five House Republicans joined all Democrats in voting against it.
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The bill would remove gender identity as a protected class from the state’s civil rights law and explicitly define female and male, as well as gender, which would be considered a synonym for sex and “shall not be considered a synonym or shorthand expression for gender identity, experienced gender, gender expression, or gender role.”
Protesters fill the Iowa state Capitol in Des Moines on Thursday to denounce a bill that would strip the state civil rights code of protections based on gender identity.Charlie Neibergall / APThe measure would be the first legislative action in the U.S. to remove nondiscrimination protections based on gender identity, said Logan Casey, director of policy research at the Movement Advancement Project, an LGBTQ+ rights think tank.
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