Amid a heavy police presence and hundreds of vocal protesters, Iowa lawmakers on Thursday considered an unprecedented bill that would strip the state civil rights code of protections based on gender identity, a move opponents say could expose transgender people to discrimination in numerous areas of life.
Both the house and senate were expected to vote on the legislation on Thursday, the same day the Georgia house backed away from removing gender protections from the state’s hate crimes law, which was passed in 2020 after the death of Ahmaud Arbery.
Iowa’s bill, first introduced last week, raced through the legislative process, despite opposition from LGBTQ+ advocates who rallied at the Capitol on Monday and Tuesday.
On Thursday, opponents of the bill filed into the capitol rotunda with signs and rainbow flags to rally before, during and after a 90-minute public hearing, shouting: “No hate in our state!” There was a heavy police presence, with state troopers stationed around the rotunda and hearing room.
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