Just one day after House File 583 cleared both the Iowa House and Senate, Governor Kim Reynolds (R) signed the bill into law, stripping gender identity from the state’s civil rights protections.
The law’s passage marks a significant shift in Iowa’s civil rights landscape — the state is now the first in the country to strip protections from trans individuals and could set a precedent for their repeal nationwide. LGBTQ+ advocates argue that such policies embolden discrimination against trans individuals by making it legal to deny access to housing, employment and healthcare on the basis of gender identity.
“Today, I am signing into law a bill that safeguards the rights of women and girls,” Reynolds said in a video posted to X on Feb. 28. “It’s common sense to acknowledge the biological differences between men and women.”
Trans at Grinnell (TAG), a student group at Grinnell College, has been closely monitoring the bill’s progress.
“I sort of knew that something like this was gonna happen. I’m kind of surprised it happened here first, because we are the first state in the nation to have this happen,” said Kiera Rennick `26, co-leader of TAG.
For trans students at the College, the bill’s passage has deepened concerns about their safety and future in Iowa.
“The constant feeling that I need to be wary of things is tiring. It’s exhausting,” Rennick said.
Trans at Grinnell has been in contact with the College’s Office of the President and Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) to ensure its members stay safe in the town and College community.
“TAG met last night specifically to talk about everything that’s happening and because it’s very important for us to be in community,” said Sam Wilson `26, co-leader of TAG. “Because the easiest way to take away people’s rights is by dividing and conquering.”
Across the state, LGBTQ+ advocates condemned the law, warning of its far-reaching consequences for transgender individuals in Iowa.
“Governor Reynolds has chosen to put Iowa on the wrong side of history. By signing this bill into law, she has made it legal to discriminate against transgender Iowans in nearly every aspect of life – where they live, where they work and where they go to school,” wrote Max Mowitz, executive director of One Iowa, an organization working to preserve and advance the rights of LGBTQ Iowans, in a statement released Feb. 28.
“This law sends a devastating message: that transgender Iowans are not worthy of the same rights, dignity and protections as their neighbors,” Mowitz wrote.
“We are all children of God, and no law changes that,” Reynolds said.
John Clayton • Mar 31, 2025 at 6:18 pm
This is a secular and democratic nation. What happens in your Christian church is the concern of your church alone. Differences in faith and the freedom of adults to make choices about their own bodies and relationships should be respected. Tolerating these differences does not mean you have to abandon your own beliefs, nor does it undermine them because others hold different views. If you attempt to use the government to force others to conform to your religious beliefs, you are being narrow-minded and intolerant. You are acting like a freak.