Des Moines, Iowa (RI)– House Speaker Pat Grassley says popular policies the legislature has recently passed are in legal jeopardy because gender identity is included in the Iowa Civil Rights Code.
In a written statement, Speaker Grassley said House Republicans will give full consideration to removing transgender Iowans as a class of people mentioned in the Iowa Civil Rights Act and therefore protected from discrimination in employment, housing, education, and credit considerations. Grassley cited a 2019 court ruling that has required taxpayers to pay for hormone treatment and gender reassignment surgeries for Medicaid patients and he said policies that have protected women’s sports and prohibited gender-affirming care for minors are at risk of being overturned in court. The leader of One Iowa, an advocacy group for LGBTQ Iowans, says removing gender identity from the Civil Rights Act will upend the lives of transgender Iowans and legally define them out of existence. Republican Representative Austin Harris of Moulton says he’s voted for and will defend policies like making sure minors are not having permanent gender reassignment surgeries, but he will oppose stripping Iowans of their civil rights with every fiber of his being.
He went on to say, “…As the first openly gay Republican to ever serve in state government on any level, to my knowledge, I think this is wrong.”
The bill’s sponsor says at least 27 states do not have gender identity specified in their civil rights codes.
