IowA legislators on Thursday became the first in the country to approve legislation by eliminating gender identity protections from the state’s civil rights code. This despite the mass protests of opponents who say they could expose transgender people to discrimination in numerous areas of life.
The measure resorted to the legislative process after first introduced last week. The state Senate was first to approve the bill on Thursday, followed by the House less than an hour later. Five Republicans in the House joined all Democrats to vote.
On Thursday, hundreds of 2SLGBTQ+ defenders entered the Capitol roundabout where they stunned signs of reading « Trans rights are human rights » and singing slogans, including « Without hatred of our state! »
There was a strong police presence, with state troops parked around the Righty. The opposition to the bill was huge, with 2SLGBTQ+ people and their allies were presented at the entries to defend the human rights of transgender and non -binary people. Of the 167 people who signed up to testify at a 90 -minute public hearing in front of a Chamber Committee, all of them opposed the bill.
The protesters who saw the vote from the chamber gallery made strongly and called « shame! » As the chamber was postponed. Many warned the Iowa state representative Steven Holt, who managed the bill and handed over a fierce defense before it happened.
The bill would eliminate gender identity as a protected class of the Civil Rights Law of the State and explicitly define women and men, as well as gender, which would be considered a synonym for sex and « should not be considered a synonym or expression of shorthand by gender identity, experienced gender, gender expression or gender role. »
The measure would be the first legislative action to eliminate protections of non -discrimination based on gender identity, said Logan Casey, director of Policy Investigation of the Advancement Project Movement, a Think Tank 2sLGBTQ+ RIGHTS.
Supporters of change say that the current law encoded the idea that people can move to another gender, who believe that it is incorrect, and that transgender women granted access to spaces such as baths, changing rooms and sports teams who believe that they should be reserved for people who were assigned women at birth.
« The Iowa legislature for the future of our children and our culture has a solemn interest and responsibility to defend the immutable truth, » said Holt.
2SLGBTQ+ Human rights people and proponents say that there is no justification to strip the civil rights protections of trans and non -binary people.
« If this bill happens, many basic needs of life that are given of course will be much harder to access with transgender Iowans, » Maz Mowitz, executive director of 2SLGBTQ+ Advocy Group One Iowa Action, said last month.
« Owners will legally be able to deny them to rent an apartment, banks will be able to deny them a car loan and hotels will be able to divert them for no other reason than they are transgender. This bill gives those who want to discriminate the ability to put the thumb on the American dream stairs. »
Iowa State Representative Aime Wichndahl was the last Democrat to spoke against the bill, being emotional when she offered her personal story as a transgender woman, saying: « I went through to save my life. »
« The purpose of this bill and the purpose of each anti-trans bill is to erase even more from public life and to stigmatize our existence, » said WichtenDahl. « The total sum of each anti-tran and anti-lgbtq bill is that our existence is illegal. »
« Protections should be … reinforced, not eliminated »
The legislation is now used to the Republican Governor Kim Reynolds, who has been supported by efforts to limit gender identity protections. A spokesman for Reynolds refused to comment on whether he would sign the bill. If he does, he will come into force on July 1.
The actions of the Iowa legislators took place the same day that the House of Georgia was supported by eliminating gender protections from the State’s Hate Crime Act, which was passed in 2020 after The death of Ahmaud Arbery.
The current IowA civil rights law protects against race, color, creed, gender identity, sex, sexual orientation, religion, national origin or disability state.
Sexual orientation and gender identity were not originally included in the 1965 state civil rights law. They were added by Democratic controlled legislature in 2007, also with the support of a dozen Republicans in both chambers.
Iowa Republicans say that their changes are intended to strengthen the prohibition of the state of sports participation and access to public bath for transgender students, which were signed by Law by Reynolds.
These growing attacks on trans rights should be a reason to strengthen Sarah Kate Ellis, President and CEO of GLAAD on Wednesday.
« At a time when transgender people are under unprecedented attack, protections should be applied and reinforced, not eliminated to excited discrimination, » Ellis said to a statement.
« Non-discrimination laws are essential to protect our most vulnerable and marginalized communities and make sure that no one is treated differently because of who they are. This is a red alert that if they can do this to trans people, all civil rights protections could be at risk, » said Ellis.
About half of the North -North -Americans include gender identity in their civil rights code to protect discrimination in housing and public places, such as shops or restaurants, according to the movement’s advancement project. Some additional states do not explicitly protect this discrimination, but are included in the legal interpretations of the by -laws.
The Iowa Supreme Court has rejected the argument that sex -based discrimination includes gender -based discrimination.
Several legislatures led by Republicans are also pressing to promote more law this year, creating legal definitions of men and women based on reproductive bodies at birth after an executive order by United States President Donald Trump.
Trump, in a blitz of executive orders aimed at the rights of trans and non -binary people, also signed orders that establish the foundations for banning transgender people from military service and maintain transgender girls and women outside the sports competitions of girls and women, among other things. Most policies are challenged in court.
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