Iowa has become the first U.S. state to remove “gender identity” as a protected class from its civil rights code. Governor Kim Reynolds signed Senate File 418 into law on February 28, effectively eliminating gender identity protections in areas such as housing, employment, and public accommodations.
The new law, set to take effect on July 1, 2025, defines sex strictly based on reproductive organs at birth, thereby rejecting the concept of gender transition.
SF 418 outlines that no changes are to be made to birth certificates after individuals undergo “gender affirming care.” SF 418 also establishes precedent that prevents teachers from teaching on “gender theory or sexual orientation to students in kindergarten through grade six.”
The legislation passed swiftly through Iowa’s Republican-majority Senate and House, with votes of 33-15 and 60-36, respectively. Notably, some Republicans joined Democrats in opposing the bill.
In a statement, Reynolds asserted that there are obvious distinctions between men and women, yet “these commonsense protections were at risk because, before I signed this bill, the Civil Rights Code blurred the biological line between the sexes.”
Reynolds went onto add: “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.”
Opponents argue that the law exposes transgender individuals to discrimination and marginalization. Representative Aime Wichtendahl, Iowa’s first openly transgender legislator, criticized the bill, stating, “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.”
The bill’s passage sparked significant protests at the Iowa Capitol, with hundreds of LGBTQ+ advocates demonstrating against the measure.
Iowa’s stance reflects the stance of the White House, which is that there are two genders, and men do not belong in spaced dedicated to women.
Governor Reynolds defended the law, asserting that acknowledging biological differences is necessary to secure equal protection for women and girls.
