Iowa Republicans Attempt To Remove Trans People From Civil Rights Act, Classify As Disabled

If passed, the bill would mark the first time gender identity gets removed from a state civil rights act that previously passed protections.

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds - Public Record

On Friday, the activist group One Iowa Action announced on Facebook that Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds (R) plans to introduce legislation that would remove gender identity as a protected category under the Iowa Civil Rights Act. If passed, the legislation would allow businesses and government institutions to discriminate against transgender individuals. The proposal appears to echo House Bill 2082, introduced last year, which sought to classify transgender people as disabled. It remains unclear if Reynolds’ pending bill will include this controversial classification. If enacted, this legislation would mark the first time a state repealed anti-discrimination protections for an entire group.

Kris Maul, a transgender resident of Urbandale, Iowa, said to the Iowa Public Radio in 2024 in response to HB 2082, “I probably would have met the criteria for gender dysphoria many years ago, but I don’t currently meet the criteria. So I am a transgender person, but I don’t have gender dysphoria diagnosis, I wouldn’t be eligible nor seek that diagnosis today, so I’m going to lose protections under that.”

One Iowa Action detailed in their post further the impacts that this bill would have. “If this bill passes, landlords will legally be able to deny [transgender people] the ability to rent an apartment, banks will be able to deny them a car loan, and hotels will be able to turn them away for no other reason than because they are transgender. This bill gives those who wish to discriminate the ability to do so.”

According to the Center for American Progress, 56% of transgender people reported experiencing discrimination within the year leading up to the survey. A study by the Williams Institute found that 22% of transgender and non-binary individuals faced outright workplace discrimination during the same period, while 26% reported harassment in their workplaces. The majority of transgender employees said they felt compelled to mask their identities and present as cisgender to avoid anti-trans discrimination. These rates were significantly higher among transgender people of color.

Contrary to what the desires of politicians may suggest, anti-trans bills in Iowa are incredibly unpopular. Last year, over 20 anti-trans bills were introduced in the Iowa state government, including a bill that would have required special markers to be placed on identification documents of transgender people and a bill that would have redefined the concept of “equal” to exclude transgender people. These bills failed after the legislature adjourned sine die, without any of them being passed by the predominantly Republican legislature.

The public has pushed back against these bills as well. HB 2082 saw protests from over 300 people in the hallways of the Iowa Capitol building, many holding signs and chanting to oppose the removal of anti-discrimination protections for transgender people. During this session, state Representative Jeff Shipley, a Republican, launched a tirade against transgender women, labeling them as “creepy old men.” He claimed that this bill was retaliation for trans people protesting against anti-trans athlete and activist Chloe Cole in Iowa City in the months prior.

Gender identity was added as a protected category to the Iowa Civil Rights Act in 2007. Since then, there have been multiple attempts to take this down, spearheaded entirely by anti-trans politicians. One such bill was killed in 2020, with even some Republicans coming to the defense of trans people by opposing the repeal of gender identity from these anti-discrimination measures. However, as the Republican party has veered more towards far-right politics in the past few years, more and more politicians have been vocally opposed to allowing transgender people to have the same protections as cisgender people.

Amie Wichtendahl, Iowa’s first transgender government official, spoke in a powerful testimony against this bill last year. "Haven't you already taken enough? Or do you need to sacrifice another pound of flesh on the altar of the culture war? You've denied us health care, banned our books, and harassed and forcibly outed queer kids. If the leadership in this body had any dignity whatsoever, it would immediately adjourn this subcommittee and issue an immediate apology for ever having entertained such an egregious violation of human rights,” she said to the crowd.

One Iowa Action called for the public to join their phone and text bank today, Monday, January 27, at 6pm CST. They also call upon the public to reach out to Gov. Reynolds, Chair of the House Judiciary Committee Rep. Steve Holt, and Speaker of the House Pat Grassley to oppose this bill. They indicate in the replies that as of Sunday, January 26, 2025, the bill has not been released, but is anticipated to be rapidly pushed through the state legislature.

They conclude their call to action with a simple but powerful message that may resonate with people across the country: “Now is the time to show up and support Transgender Iowans.”

If you live in Iowa, you can find your representative’s information at the My Reps tool provided by DataMade.