Iowa Becomes First State to Remove ‘Gender Identity’ as a Protected Class

While President Donald Trump has been tackling LGBTQ+ activism at the federal level, Iowa has become the first state to pass a bill that removes gender identity from the state’s civil rights law.

On Friday, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, a Republican, signed SF418, which made its way to her desk with a 33-15 vote in the Senate and a 60-36 vote in the House.

The legislation eliminates “gender identity” as a protected class under the Iowa Civil Rights Act. It also defines sex as “the state of being either male or female as observed or clinically verified at birth.” The text goes on to define other terms such as “male” and “female,” and it states that the term “gender” will be regarded as a “synonym for sex.”

The legislation does not allow changes to birth certificates after an individual undergoes “gender-affirming care,” and it ensures that Iowa’s school curriculum does not promote “gender theory or sexual orientation to students in kindergarten through grade six.”

The bill also explains that any “person born with a medically verifiable diagnosis of disorder or difference of sex development shall be provided the legal protections and accommodations afforded under the federal Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and applicable state law.”

In a statement, Reynolds said this bill “safeguards the rights of women and girls.” She also emphasized that “it is common sense to acknowledge the obvious biological differences between men and women.” Yet, “unfortunately, these commonsense protections were at risk because, before I signed this bill, the Civil Rights Code blurred the biological line between the sexes.”

Reynolds continued, “That is unacceptable to me, and it is unacceptable to most Iowans. … We are all children of God, and no law changes that. What this bill does accomplish is to strengthen protections for women and girls, and I believe that is the right thing to do.”

However, while SF418 garnered immense support from conservatives, Democratic opposition was in full force. The day before the bill was signed, over 2,500 protesters flooded the statehouse in Des Moines, holding LGBTQ+ Pride flags and signs that expressed their opposition. The mob chanted “No hate in our state!” and “Who’s next?” as others booed.

State Rep. Steven Holt, a Republican, who introduced the measure, addressed both sides of the coin—the resistance and the celebration—on Friday’s “Washington Watch” with guest host Jody Hice.

“I’ve been working on this bill for about eight months,” Holt stated. Ultimately, the legislation acknowledges that “gender identity is a feeling,” and that “the Civil Rights Code is normally about immutable characteristics based on truth.” As such, “these two things cannot coexist. … We can’t have [protecting women] in code and also have gender identity as a protected class.”

Holt explained that Democrats and Republicans in Iowa have been duking it out on this matter for years. “We knew it was going to be a very difficult and challenging situation,” he said. And yet, after years of “playing whack-a-mole,” it’s officially been passed and signed.

“That is awesome news,” Hice agreed. But considering how “common sense” it is, Hice asked, “[Why] would anyone be opposed to this bill? What would be any chief concerns among those who oppose it?” According to Holt, people are opposed to it “because it … restores that everyone is treated equally in the law.”

“[U]nfortunately,” he continued, “members of the transgender community believe it is their right, if they are a biological male [identifying] as female … to go into female restrooms, female changing facilities, female sports.”

We’ve seen cases of this happening all over the country, he went on to explain, and it has damaged and harmed the women and girls directly affected. But when it comes to those who identify as transgender, “They demand that their rights be elevated above the rights of everyone else. It’s that simple.” However, Holt emphasized, “that is no longer the case.”

“Women will not be erased,” Holt concluded. “It’s amazing to me that Democrats, who once supported women’s rights, are now supporting erasing women. It’s just unbelievable.”

Originally published by The Washington Stand

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