The measure raced through the legislative process after first being introduced last week. The state Senate was first to approve the bill on Thursday, on party lines, followed by the House less than an hour later. Five House Republicans joined all Democrats in voting against it.
The bill would remove gender identity as a protected class from the state’s civil rights law and explicitly define female and male, as well as gender, which would be considered a synonym for sex and “shall not be considered a synonym or shorthand expression for gender identity, experienced gender, gender expression, or gender role.”
The measure would be the first legislative action in the U.S. to remove nondiscrimination protections based on claims from a person who says his or her gender is different from their biological sex.
The bill now goes to Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds, who signed earlier policies banning sports participation and public bathroom access for primarily male students claiming to be females. A spokesperson for Reynolds declined to comment on whether she would sign the bill. If she does, it will go into effect on July 1.
Protesters who watched the vote from the House gallery loudly booed and shouted “Shame!” as the chamber adjourned. Many admonished Iowa state Rep. Steven Holt, who floor managed the bill and delivered a fierce defense of it before it passed.
Supporters of the change say the current law incorrectly codified the idea that people can transition to another gender and granted males claiming to be females access to spaces such as bathrooms, locker rooms and sports teams that should be protected for people who are actually females. Holt said the inclusion of gender identity in the civil rights codes threatens recent “commonsense” laws to ban males from participation in female sports and access to female bathrooms.
“The legislature of Iowa for the future of our children and our culture has a vested interest and solemn responsibility to stand up for immutable truth,” Holt said.
