Iowa Judiciary committee halts latest attempt to strip civil Rights from transgender people

Screenshot One Iowa Action

The latest attempt by the state of Iowa to strip rights from transgender people failed Wednesday when the three-member House Judiciary subcommittee said they would not advance the bill.

If HF 2082 had passed the legislature Republican Governor Kim Reynolds indicated she would have signed it.

A tragedy of epic proportions averted at least temporarily.

If passed this would have marked the first time in American history that civil rights had been removed from a protected class of people. The bill would have regulated gender other than that assigned at birth as a disability under Iowa law.

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 Iowa Civil Rights Act remeins intact still prohibiting discrimination based on race, creed, color, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, ancestry, disability and gender identity reports USA Today. Lawmakers added the protections for gender identity in 2007 when Democrats held the Iowa Legislature and governor's office.