Iowa Bans Local Gender Identity Protections

0:00From Durham, this is your March 11th update. Iowa has become the first state to roll back parts of its civil rights code, and now a new preemption law bans local governments from offering. Non-discrimination protections based on gender identity. Signed by Republican Governor Kim Reynolds, the law took effect this Tuesday and limits protections to only the categories listed in state code, like race, sex, sexual orientation, and disability. Several cities, including Des Moines and Iowa City, already had gender identity protections in place, and Ames added theirs just last month. Republicans in the House and Senate pushed the law to avoid a confusing patchwork of local rules that could burden businesses and schools. Democrats called it an extreme overreach, arguing it stops communities from addressing their own needs. Lawmakers pointed to conflicts with recent state rules on transgender students and bathrooms, locker rooms, and sports teams. At least two other states, Arkansas and Tennessee have similar preemption laws. Iowa City officials reinforced

1:02their protections after last year's rollback and are now weighing legal challenges to fight the new law. They remain committed to safeguarding all residents. State data shows a drop in gender identity complaints, with just one accepted for investigation since the rollback on July 1st, 2025, compared to 46 the year before. Iowans have until April 27th to file for earlier incidents. Burst Certificate Sex Changes, which number 208 from January to June last year, are now all rejected, though requests keep coming. This story is shared with support from our sponsor. Layback, press play, let the pillow do the rest. Sound meets comfort, S-O-L-L-I, solely pillow.com.