Iowa removes civil rights protections for transgender individuals

Iowa moved to remove gender identity protections from the state’s civil rights code Thursday despite massive protests by opponents who say it could expose transgender people to discrimination in numerous areas of life. The Iowa House approved the bill that would strip the state civil rights code of protections based on gender identity, less than an hour after the state Senate backed the legislation. First introduced last week, the measure raced through the legislative process. Hundreds of LGBTQ+ advocates streamed into the Capitol rotunda on Thursday. Of the 167 people who signed up to testify at the public hearing before a House committee, all but 24 were opposed to the bill. The measure would be the first legislative action removing nondiscrimination protections based on gender identity. Gov. Reynolds signed the bill into law on Friday.