Iowa Eliminates Local Gender Identity Protections with New State Law

Iowa has enacted legislation blocking cities and counties from providing gender identity protections beyond what state law allows. The measure took effect immediately after Governor Kim Reynolds signed it Tuesday, overriding local ordinances in cities like Des Moines and Iowa City.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa has implemented new legislation that eliminates local government authority to establish gender identity anti-discrimination measures, following the state’s unprecedented decision to strip such protections from its civil rights laws last year.

The preemptive measure became effective immediately Tuesday when Republican Governor Kim Reynolds signed it into law. The legislation prohibits municipalities and counties from establishing civil rights safeguards that extend beyond those specifically outlined in state statutes.

Numerous municipalities throughout Iowa had established gender identity protections in their local codes, including major population centers like Des Moines and Iowa City, which houses the University of Iowa. Just last month, Ames, home to Iowa State University, approved its own ordinance providing gender identity protections.

Republican lawmakers controlling both legislative chambers argued the new preemption measure creates uniformity regarding protected classifications. Democratic legislators opposed the legislation.

“There could literally be hundreds of situations where we have conflicts with local ordinances,” Republican state Representative Steve Holt explained. “And considering the climate that we’re in today, a patchwork of different civil rights ordinances would be extremely difficult for businesses and schools to navigate.”

Research from the Movement Advancement Project, an LGBTQ+ advocacy organization, indicates that Arkansas and Tennessee have similar laws preventing local anti-discrimination ordinances from exceeding state protections.

Iowa’s original 1965 Civil Rights Act did not include sexual orientation and gender identity provisions. These protections were incorporated in 2007 when Democrats controlled the legislature, with backing from approximately twelve Republican lawmakers.

Reynolds and fellow Iowa Republicans argued last year that these anti-discrimination measures conflicted with newer legislation restricting transgender students’ access to facilities like restrooms and locker rooms, as well as their participation in athletic programs.

Speaking Wednesday, Reynolds maintained that recent laws remained threatened by what she called a “hodgepodge” of varying civil rights protections across different communities.

“We just believe that locals should follow the state law especially when it comes to civil rights, otherwise we have a mismatch of rights out there,” she stated. “We thought that it was important that they be consistent.”

Iowa’s current civil rights legislation provides protection against discrimination involving race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, and disability status.

Laura Bergus, a City Council member and attorney in Iowa City, located approximately 100 miles east of Des Moines, noted that gender identity discrimination protections have existed in local regulations for roughly three decades.

Following last year’s state legislation, the city adopted a resolution “to reinforce the fact that we had that authority and to make sure that our residents knew that discrimination on the basis of gender identity specifically was still prohibited in Iowa City,” Bergus stated Wednesday.

Bergus characterized the new law as “extreme overreach” that restricts local governments from addressing community-specific needs, and indicated Iowa City is exploring potential legal challenges.

“Our local leadership remains committed to protecting all of us,” Bergus declared.

Iowa residents have until April 27 to submit civil rights complaints to the state regarding gender identity discrimination incidents that occurred prior to the civil rights code changes taking effect July 1, 2025. State data through February 13 shows only one complaint has been accepted for investigation since that date.

During the preceding twelve months, 46 gender identity-based complaints were accepted for investigation.

The rollback also eliminated Iowa residents’ ability to modify sex designations on birth certificates.

State health department records provided to The Associated Press show 208 birth certificates had sex designation modifications from January through June 2025. This represents a substantial increase from 2024, when 135 such requests were made throughout the entire year.

According to the state health department, Iowa no longer monitors the number of birth certificate change requests received but continues receiving them. All requests are now denied.