The Iowa Senate and House of Representatives (House) passed a bill on Thursday that will remove protection from discrimination on “gender identity” grounds from the Iowa Code, effectively restricting transgender rights.

The Senate cleared Senate File (SF) 418 with a 33-15 vote and transferred the bill to the House, which voted 60-36 in favor of the bill. SF 418, which was first introduced by Senator Jason Schultz earlier this week, specifically narrows the definition of “gender” to include only the female or male sex rather than “gender identity, experienced gender, gender expression, or gender role.” The bill also defines “female” and “male” according to the reproductive system that an individual has “through the course of normal development.” Similarly, the bill states that “equal” does not mean “same” or “identical” since, according to the bill, “separate accommodations are not inherently unequal.”

SF 418 then provides that any state law prohibiting discrimination is limited to only prohibiting discrimination “against females or males in relation to similarly situated members of the opposite sex.” In other words, under this section of the bill, state laws prohibiting discrimination would not include the prohibition of discrimination against transgender people.

The bill principally aims to amend areas of the Iowa Code that set out protections against discrimination by removing “gender identity” from those sections. For example, in Section Two of the bill, one provision of the code is amended to remove “gender identity” as a ground protected from discrimination during the hiring process for the Department of Education.

While lawmakers considered the legislation, protestors gathered outside of the Iowa Capitol in opposition to the bill. After the General Assembly passed the bill, Congressman Eric Sorensen stated:

The State of Iowa stripped away the civil rights for some of its citizens today. I am ashamed this is happening in our country today, but I am proud to see the hundreds of people who peacefully protested the vote today. To those who feel the pain of this hate, just know that as one of only 13 out Members of Congress, I will look out for you and fight for you here at home and in Washington, DC.

At a public hearing, Iowa resident David Bush expressed support for the bill, claiming that it contains “common sense protections, especially for women.”

The bill will now be sent to Governor Kim Reynolds, who will choose whether to sign the bill into law or veto it. If Reynolds signs the bill, it will become law in July 2025.

In Montana, the state senate similarly proposed to alter the Montana Code by defining “sex” using binary terms. However, a district court judge struck down the bill as violating equal protection and privacy rights found in the Montana Constitution.