Iowa Senate lawmakers advanced a bill that would eliminate civil rights protections for transgender people, mirroring legislation passed by a panel of House lawmakers Monday despite the protest of hundreds of Iowans.
The legislation, Senate File 418, removes anti-discrimination protections for transgender people from the Iowa Civil Rights Act. Gender identity would also no longer be considered a protected class.
The bill would define sex, gender, male, and female in Iowa code and would require birth certificates to reflect an Iowan’s sex at birth. It would also prohibit Iowa schools from providing instruction related to gender identity and sexual orientation to students in grades kindergarten through grade six.
RELATED: Despite protest, Iowa lawmakers advance bill ending civil rights protections for trans Iowans
House Study Bill 242 was advanced by Iowa House lawmakers on Monday, and the bill could be debated on the Iowa House Floor as soon as Thursday. A public hearing is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Thursday.
The Senate bill will be considered by the full Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday.
Iowa’s legislation reflects an onslaught of executive orders from President Donald Trump targeting the transgender community, including a federal definition of sex as only male or female and for the definition to be reflected on official documents and policies, such as federal prison assignments.
The president has also signed orders to ban transgender women from participating in women’s sports and cut federal support for gender transitions for people under the age of 19, which are similar to legislation passed by Iowa’s Republican majority in the state legislature over the years.
The state legislature’s laws ban those under 18 from receiving gender-affirming care and ban transgender women and girls from competing in women’s sports.
Many of Trump’s executive orders are currently tied up in court.
Iowans speak both in favor and against the bill
Barry Stevens, a freshman at Valley Southwest in Des Moines, has continually spoke out against legislation targeting Iowa’s transgender community throughout the legislative session.
The 14-year-old pointed to a statement from Iowa Rep. Steven Holt, R-Denison, who has previously said he introduced House Study Bill 242 because gender identity protections jeopardize other laws passed by the legislator, as the legislation would be at risk of being considered unconstitutional.
Stevens said the Senate’s bill is cruel, immoral, and dehumanizing.
“You claim to care about Iowa’s youth, but during public comments for these abhorrent bills, I’ve been called wrong, confused, sick, indoctrinated, sinful, and just last week, a contagion because of my gender identity,” Stevens said to the lawmakers.
Lennon James, a student at Drake Law School, said Iowa will be the first state in the U.S. to repeal civil rights it had already given to a class and that if the state legislature passes the repeal, it will be all lawmakers are remembered for.
“I’m here to tell you that, regardless of your beliefs regarding trans people, if you repeal us from the [Iowa] Civil Rights Act, your legacy will be taking away rights and being the first state to do so,” James said. “That will be your legacy. And I ask you now is that what you want? History has its eyes on you right now. If you take this away, that will be your legacy forever. Nothing you ever do will ever be as significant, and that will be all you are remembered as.”
James said transgender people have no agenda and just wish to be left alone.
Lobbyist for conservative group The FAMiLY Leader, Danny Carroll, said the organization is registered in support of the bill.
Carroll referenced the lawmakers who added gender identity as a protected class to the Iowa Civil Rights Act in 2007 and said they did so out of good intention.
“But now, these many years later, there has been that thing we mentioned around here quite often — unintended consequences,” he said.
Chair of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee, Iowa Sen. Jason Schultz, R-Schleswig, described Monday’s House hearing on the bill as “tumultuous,” as hundreds of Iowans protested the legislation, causing Holt to pause public comment multiple times.
Schultz said he was grateful and proud of the people who spoke on both sides of the issue.
Iowa Sen. Dan Dawson, R-Council Bluffs, supported the bill and said it will correct the unintended consequences of the legislation passed in 2007.
The only Democrat on the panel of lawmakers, Iowa Sen. Matt Blake, D-Urbandale, was the only senator to oppose the bill.
Blake said the legislation will increase discrimination against transgender people and will eliminate a group of individuals in Iowa.
He said this legislation extends beyond the transgender community and will impact every Iowan.
“This bill strips away the rights of Iowans in the state of Iowa,” he said. “We will be the first time in state history and maybe U.S. history that we are going to be taking away liberties that have been granted and stripping them away from a group of individuals in the state of Iowa.”