Iowa has become the first US state to remove gender identity protections from its civil rights code after governor Kim Reynolds signed a new law on Friday. The move, which takes effect on July 1, has sparked strong opposition from LGBTQ+ advocates who say it could lead to widespread discrimination. The law eliminates gender identity as a protected category under Iowa’s civil rights code, undoing provisions that were added in 2007. It also establishes legal definitions of male and female based on reproductive organs at birth, rejecting the notion that a person can transition to another gender. Republicans backing the bill argue that gender identity protections cannot coexist with policies restricting transgender individuals from using certain bathrooms, locker rooms, or sports teams. “It’s common sense to acknowledge the obvious biological differences between men and women,” Reynolds said in a video posted on social media, defending her decision to sign the bill. She claimed that the previous civil rights code had “blurred the biological line between the sexes.” The bill moved through the Iowa Legislature after being introduced just last week. While all Democrats voted against it, five House Republicans also opposed the measure. Iowa state Representative Aime Wichtendahl, the first openly transgender lawmaker in the state, spoke before the final vote, saying: “I transitioned to save my life. 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.” Hundreds of LGBTQ+ activists gathered at the Iowa Capitol on Thursday, waving signs reading “Trans rights are human rights” and chanting, “No hate in our state!” A heavy police presence was in place. As the final votes were cast, some protesters became visibly emotional. US President Donald Trump, who signed an executive order during his first day in office defining legal sex categories at the federal level, voiced support for the Iowa bill. On Thursday, he posted on Truth Social in favour of the measure after it passed both chambers of the Iowa Legislature. Republican Representative Steven Holt, who backed the bill, justified the removal of gender identity protections by stating that if the Legislature could add them, it could also remove them. Legal experts and advocacy groups, including LGBTQ+ rights organisation One Iowa, have vowed to challenge the law in court. Keenan Crow, the group’s director of policy and advocacy, criticised the bill’s vague language, saying, “We will pursue any legal options available to us.” While not every US state includes gender identity in its civil rights laws, Iowa is now the first to actively strip such protections. The state’s Supreme Court has previously ruled that discrimination based on sex does not automatically include gender identity discrimination. As of July 1, Iowa’s civil rights law will continue to protect individuals from discrimination based on race, colour, creed, sex, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, and disability status—but not gender identity. LGBTQ+ advocacy groups warn that the change could lead to legal battles and increased difficulties for transgender Iowans in employment, housing, and public accommodations.
