Iowa is the first US state to eliminate gender identity protections from its civil rights law after Governor Kim Reynolds signed a controversial bill on Friday. The bill, which goes into effect on July 1, eliminates legal protections for transgender individuals, triggering intense backlash from civil rights organizations.
Reynolds, who is a Republican, defended the bill in a social media video, asserting that it “protects the rights of women and girls.” She stated Iowa’s previous civil rights code eliminated biological distinctions between the sexes. The Republican-dominated legislature in the state approved the bill hastily amidst protests and acrimonious controversy.
The move is in line with policies advocated for by President Donald Trump, rolling back at the federal level a non-binary definition of gender and taking many steps restricting transgender rights. Trump had praised Iowa’s action on his social media platform, Truth Social, posting, “Thank you, Iowa!” and reaffirming his vow to combat what he calls “Radical Gender Ideology.”.
Reynolds had already signed into law measures excluding transgender student athletes from sports and limiting access to public bathrooms. The new law further categorizes gender in rigid terms of biological sex at birth and removes gender identity from the list of protected classes in state anti-discrimination law.
It was denounced by critics like the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). The executive director of the ACLU of Iowa, Mark Stringer, called it “barbaric” and warned that it perilously undermines human rights. Hundreds protested the Iowa state capitol before the vote, carrying rainbow flags and shouting “No hate in our state.”
The bill has stoked national controversies regarding transgender rights, setting a precedent that can be followed by other Republican-dominated states in the future.
