A bill that would remove “gender identity” from the Iowa Civil Rights Act has cleared the House Judiciary Committee this afternoon. The 13-8 vote was along party lines, with all but one Republican on the panel supporting the legislation.
The legislation was the subject of a sometimes tense hour-long subcommittee hearing late this morning. Amber Williams of Aplington, a lobbyist for Inspire Life – a group opposed to abortion, is among those who testified. She said the bill ensures the of safety and privacy of women.
“Women’s rights cannot exist if the very definition of woman is eroded,” Williams said. “As a society, we have a duty to ensure that women’s spaces remain places of refuge, not controversy.”
Paden Sheuman told lawmakers the bill will be “a dark stain” on Iowa’s civil rights history.
“Have you ever been discriminated against just for being who you are, just for existing as yourself? I have and I can tell you it is dehumanizing,” Sheumaker said. “It is demeaning, it is disheartening and it is terrifying.”
Chris Morse, who testified against the bill, was escorted out of the hearing when they exceeded the two minute time limit per speaker and kept reciting a Bible passage.
“Whether you like it or not, this body agreed in 2007 to protect gender queer like myself,” Morse said. “..Removing these protection is, in itself, a violation of our civil rights and it won’t hold up in court.”
Brad Lawson of Pleasant Hill urged lawmakers to be bold.
“Let the country know that we, in Iowa, believe in science, believe in sex and not gender identity, that we are male and female and the way someone feels today or tomorrow doesn’t get the same civil rights protections that MLK and others fought so hard for and the way God intended,” Lawson said.
Tamara Scott, state director for Concerned Women of America, urged lawmakers to remove all references to “sexual orientation” in state law.
“It is not your job to codify feelings; to protect perceptions, pronouns or preferences, but it is to bring justice to all of us,” Scott said. “…No one group should have benefit under any other group under the Constitution.”
Diane Crookham-Johnson, an Oskaloosa attorney and co-owner of Musco Lighting, said in 2024 she helped eight Mahaska County residents confirm their gender identity on legal documents.
“This bill doesn’t impact some unknown person over there,” she said. “This bill impacts people in your districts..and even your most conservative counties of Iowa.”
Opponents of the bill chanted and stomped outside the hearing room, prompting the subcommittee’s chairman to pause the hearing for seven minutes as state troopers pushed the crowd down the hallway to reduce noise in the room. Two protesters were arrested.
(This post was updated at 3:45 p.m.)