Iowa Lawmakers Pass Bill to Eliminate Transgender Civil Rights Protections

Eighteen years ago, when Democrats controlled state government in Iowa, Gov.Chet Culver signed civil rights protections for gay, lesbian and transgender people into law.“We send a message that Iowa is a welcoming place that values each of its citizens, whether it’s in the neighborhood or in the workplace,” Mr.

Culver said at the time.“We send a message that intolerance and discrimination have no place in our state.”On Thursday, in an Iowa State Capitol now dominated by Republicans, lawmakers passed a bill that would remove those civil rights guarantees from transgender Iowans.

Advocates for L.G.B.T.Q.rights said Iowa would become the first state to remove broad and explicit protections for transgender people if Gov.

Kim Reynolds, a Republican, signed the measure.The debate in Des Moines, where protesters and Democrats tried without success this week to persuade Republican lawmakers to reconsider, reflected how much the discourse over transgender issues has shifted in the country, and how much Iowa has changed.The passage of the Iowa legislation comes as the Trump administration has tried to limit official recognition of transgender identity.The administration has sought to end funding for hospitals that provide gender-transition treatments to minors, to bar transgender women and girls from competing in women’s sports, to bar openly transgender people from serving in the military, to house transgender women in federal prisons with men, and to no longer reflect the gender identities of transgender people on passports.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe....