Transgender and nonbinary Iowans will no longer be shielded by state law from discrimination in housing, employment, education and more after Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a law Friday removing gender identity as a protected class in the Iowa Civil Rights Act.
The signing makes Iowa the first state in the country to take away civil rights from a group it has previously protected in law.
"It's common sense to acknowledge the obvious biological differences between men and women," Reynolds said in a video posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. "In fact, it's necessary to secure genuine equal protection for women and girls."
Reynolds, a Republican, signed the fast-tracked legislation privately Friday, one day after a heated day of protests and debate in the Iowa Capitol as more than 2,000 LGBTQ rights supporters chanted, shouted and jeered in protest as House and Senate lawmakers passed the bill, sending it to Reynolds' desk.
