LGBTQ groups sue over Iowa law banning library books and gender identity discussions
Several families are suing to stop Iowa’s new law that bans books from school libraries, forbids teachers from raising LGBTQ issues and forces educators in some cases to out the gender identity of students to their parents.
Several families are suing to stop Iowa’s new law that bans books from school libraries, forbids teachers from raising LGBTQ issues and forces educators in some cases to out the gender identity of students to their parents.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa and Lambda announced the federal lawsuit Tuesday, saying the law passed earlier this year by the Republican-led Legislature and enacted this fall “seeks to silence LGBTQ+ students, erase any recognition of LGBTQ+ people from public schools, and bans books with sexual or LGBTQ+ content.”
Under the law, educators are forbidden from raising gender identity and sexual orientation issues with students through grade six, and school administrators are required to notify parents if students ask to change their pronouns or names. The law’s section that bans books depicting sex acts from school libraries includes an exception for religious texts, like the Christian Bible.
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Iowa Safe Schools, an organization that advocates for LGBTQ children, and seven Iowa students, ranging in age from fourth to 12th grades, and their families. It seeks an injunction blocking the law while the lawsuit plays out in court and ultimately seeks to have the law declared unconstitutional as a violation of students’ and teachers’ free speech and equal protection rights.
“The First Amendment does not allow our state or our schools to remove books or issue blanket bans on discussion and materials simply because a group of politicians or parents find them offensive,” ACLU attorney Thomas Story said.
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