Iowa's civil rights protections no longer include gender identity as new law takes effect

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Iowa became the first state to remove gender identity from its civil rights code, leaving transgender and nonbinary residents unprotected from discrimination in various areas of life. The new law defines female and male based on reproductive organs at birth and prohibits changes to birth certificate sex designations.

Gov. Kim Reynolds remarked that the previous civil rights code “blurred the biological line between the sexes” when signing the law.

About half of U.S. states still protect gender identity against discrimination, according to the Movement Advancement Project.

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Key points from the Left

Iowa became the first state to remove gender identity from its civil rights code, leaving transgender and nonbinary residents unprotected from discrimination in various areas of life.
The new law defines female and male based on reproductive organs at birth and prohibits changes to birth certificate sex designations.
Governor Kim Reynolds remarked that the previous civil rights code 'blurred the biological line between the sexes' when signing the law.
About half of U.S. States still protect gender identity against discrimination, according to the Movement Advancement Project.

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Key points from the Center

Iowa became the first state to remove gender identity from its civil rights code under a new law, leaving transgender and nonbinary residents unprotected from discrimination.
The law also explicitly defines female and male based on reproductive organs at birth and removes the ability for people to change the sex designation on their birth certificate.
Transgender people say those kinds of policies deny their existence and capitalize on prejudice for political gain.

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Key points from the Right

Iowa's new law, effective July 1, eliminates discrimination protections for transgender Iowans, raising concerns in the LGBTQ+ community about safety and acceptance in daily life.
The law defines sex as male and female based on reproductive anatomy assigned at birth, impacting transgender individuals' ability to change their birth certificates.
AJ Olson from Des Moines expressed feeling ashamed and concerned for safety, stating, "I'm going to make sure I don't have to use the bathroom outside of my apartment or work."
Governor Kim Reynolds and other Republicans have called the law "common sense legislation.

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