Governor Kim Reynolds today signed the bill into law that removes the words gender identity from the Iowa Civil Rights Act. The governor released a video statement saying the signing of the bill into law safeguards the rights of women and girls.
“It is common sense to acknowledge the obvious biological differences between men and women. In fact, it is necessary to secure genuine equal protection for women and girls,” Reynolds says. Reynolds says it is about the biological differences, and that is all. “It is also why Iowa has enacted laws protecting girls’ sports for girls and women’s private spaces like bathrooms and locker rooms. But unfortunately, these commonsense protections were at risk because, before I signed this bill, the Civil Rights Code blurred the biological line between the sexes,” she says.
Reynolds says that also forced Iowa taxpayers to pay for gender reassignment surgeries. “That is unacceptable to me, and it is unacceptable to most Iowans,” Reynolds says. The Governor acknowledged this is a sensitive issue for some, and says many of whom have heard misinformation about what this bill does. “The truth is that it simply brings Iowa in line with the federal Civil Rights Code, as well as most states,” she says. “We all agree that every Iowan, without exception, deserves respect and dignity. We are all children of God, and no law changes that.”
Reynolds says the bill does strengthen protections for women and girls, and she believes that is the right thing to do. The law goes into effect July 1st.