A new Iowa law went into effect on Tuesday that removes “gender identity” from the state’s civil rights code, making Iowa the first state to formally roll back so-called gender identity protections.
Signed in March by Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds, the law defines gender strictly based on biological sex and eliminates the option to change the sex listed on a birth certificate. According to the text of the law, the change is intended to align the state’s civil rights code with the state government’s aim of protecting the “health, safety, and privacy” of Iowans — particularly women — whom Reynolds said were “at risk” before the legislation took effect.
“Today I’m signing into law a bill that safeguards the rights of women and girls,” Reynolds said in a video statement before the bill’s signing. “It is common sense to acknowledge the obvious biological differences between men and women. In fact, it is necessary to secure genuine equal protection for women and girls. It is why we have men and women’s bathrooms, but not men and women’s conference rooms; girls’ and boys’ sports, but not girls’ math and boys’ math; separate men and women’s prisons, but not different laws for men and women. It is about the biological differences, and that is all.”
Legal protections for gender identity were added to Iowa’s civil rights code in 2007 under a Democrat-led legislature.
The new law reinforces other measures passed by Iowa Republicans, including a ban on gender transition procedures for minors and restrictions on students using bathrooms that do not align with their biological sex.
The law passed quickly through the GOP-controlled legislature earlier this year, but drew backlash from progressive groups and LGBT advocates, who said it would lead to increased discrimination and abuse. All Iowa House and Senate Democrats voted against the bill.
However, public opinion appears to support the general principle behind the law, with about two-thirds of U.S. adults believing sex is determined by biological traits at birth, according to a recent AP-NORC poll.
The change is a part of a broader push by Republican-led states to push back on gender identity policies, especially those that directly impact minors. The Supreme Court decision last month upheld Tennessee’s state-level ban on puberty blockers and hormone treatments for minors.
At the federal level, President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January ending all federal funding for the chemical and surgical mutilation of children and threatened legal action against institutions that support the practices. He also issued a separate order banning men from participating in women’s sports, with the Department of Education launching investigations into states that violate the order, such as Maine and California.
Three children’s hospitals are reportedly currently under investigation by the FBI for allegedly providing pediatric sex change surgeries, in violation of federal law.
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