An Iowa legislator voices her thoughts in opposition of a newly signed law, a bill that impacts some citizen’s civil rights protections.

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds recently signed Senate File 418 that removed gender identity as a protected class from the Iowa Civil Rights Act. Iowa District 14 Senator Sarah Trone-Garriott explains that in 2007, the state’s Civil Rights Code was expanded to include sexuality and gender as protected categories. She says that the reason behind the protected classes is to ensure that no one is treated unfairly. 

Trone-Garriott describes that the business community was pushing for this legislation back in 2007 in order for people to feel welcome. She believes that Senate File 418 as the bill was rushed through the legislature quickly before it was signed into law. Trone-Garriott outlines that the protections are against discrimination in housing, education, commerce, and workforce. She tells Raccoon Valley Radio the kind of concerns she’s having.

“So now Iowa is one of the first states in the nation to take away rights that we have given to our citizens, and we have opened the door to discrimination in a number of areas that are really important to just daily life, (including) housing, the workplace pieces, and the financial piece. Those are basic life things that everyone should have protection against discrimination for. Nobody should be vulnerable.”

The proponents of the bill say that gender identity is still protected in the federal Civil Rights Act and there were conflicting laws that were previously passed that conflicted with gender identity. Trone-Garriott admits that she’s worried that the new law sends a message that Iowa is a state that takes away rights, and is fearful that other rights in the future will be negatively impacted.