Iowa Lawmakers Pass Bill to Eliminate Transgender Civil Rights Protections

Last updated: February 28, 2025 2:57 am

3 Min Read

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U.S. | Iowa Lawmakers Pass Bill to Eliminate Transgender Civil Rights Protections

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If signed by Gov. Kim Reynolds, the Republican-backed measure would eliminate state civil rights protections for transgender Iowans.

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Protesters Rally Against Bill to End Protections for Transgender Iowans Advocates for L.G.B.T.Q. rights said Iowa would become the first state to remove broad protections for transgender people if the governor signed the bill. Hey, hey. Ho, ho. Transphobia has got to go.

Advocates for L.G.B.T.Q. rights said Iowa would become the first state to remove broad protections for transgender people if the governor signed the bill. Credit Credit… Rachel Mummey for The New York Times Feb. 27, 2025

Iowa lawmakers overwhelmingly passed a bill on Thursday that would end state civil rights protections for transgender people. Advocates for L.G.B.T.Q. rights said that Iowa would become the first state to remove such broad and explicit protections for trans people if the Republican-backed measure was signed into law.

The bill, which now goes to the desk of the Republican governor, passed 18 years after the state, then led by Democrats, enshrined those discrimination protections into Iowa code.

The debate this week in Des Moines, where protesters and Democrats tried without success this week to persuade Republican lawmakers to reconsider, reflected how much the discourse over transgender issues has shifted in the country, and how much Iowa has changed.

“The purpose of this bill, the purpose of every anti-trans bill, is to further erase us from public life and to stigmatize our existence,” said State Representative Aime Wichtendahl, a Democrat who is transgender.

But Republicans said they were concerned that maintaining civil rights protections for gender identity would make other state laws — like those restricting gender-transition treatments for minors and sports participation by transgender women — vulnerable to legal challenges.

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The Iowa House floor in 2023. Republicans have seen their support surge since President Trump became the party’s leader. Credit… Jordan Gale for The New York Times Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.

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