Bill removing gender identity from Iowa Civil Rights Act goes to subcommittee

DES MOINES, Iowa — A bill that would remove gender identity as a protected class in the Iowa Civil Rights Act will go before a House subcommittee.

HF 2082, introduced by Republican Representative Jeff Shipley, aims to completely remove gender identity from the Civil Rights Act and would change the definition of a disability in Iowa Code to include gender dysmorphia diagnoses.

This isn’t the first time a bill has been introduced to remove gender identity as a protected class since it’s addition to the act in 2007. In 2020 a group of Republican lawmakers introduced a similar bill, but House Judiciary Committee Chairman and Republican Representative, Steven Holt, struck down the bill before it could make it to a subcommittee. In 2023, Republican lawmakers introduced a bill that would remove gender identity from the act, but didn’t add gender dysmorphia as a disability. That bill never made it to a subcommittee.

Executive Director Cortney Reyes of One Iowa Action, an organization that aims to protect the rights of LGBTQ+ Iowans, released a statement on Thursday following the announcement of the subcommittee hearing.

Once again, we find ourselves grappling with the disgraceful attempts by Iowa Republicans to strip fundamental rights away from a group of Iowans. The privilege of navigating daily life without the weight of discrimination might be taken for granted by those who’ve never faced it, but make no mistake. These protections are not just essential but non-negotiable.

If this bill passes, transgender people will be able to be discriminated against in every way imaginable. Landlords will be able to deny them the ability to rent an apartment legally, banks will be able to legally deny them a car loan, and hotels will be able to turn them away, all for no other reason than because they are transgender. That is cruel, and it is wrong.

We call on Iowa legislators, Iowa business leaders, and every Iowan with a moral compass to stand up against this harmful proposal. We are all created equal, and no group of Iowans should be relegated to second-class status. Every Iowan must stand against this blatant assault on equality.

The subcommittee hearing has been scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 31 at noon.

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