The Republican Governor of Iowa, Kim Reynolds, signed into law a bill Friday that removed transgender protections in the Hawkeye State’s Civil Rights Code. This is the first time this has happened anywhere in the country.

The bill states that gender is to be regarded in state law as synonymous biological sex and not gender identity. People with sexual development disorders, including those with intersex characteristics, would also be entitled to the same legal protections as people with disabilities. In the bill, “gender” was also removed.

The bill states that the state will no longer approve a birth certificate if the person has undergone hormonal treatment or surgery to remove the sex organs.

The Associated Press reported that the bill, which was first introduced on February 24, 2025 and is the culmination years of Republican efforts to protect girls and women, will go into effect on July 1, 2025. Reynolds’ 2024 effort to pass a similar bill failed at the Iowa House and Senate.

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According to AP, all Iowa House and Senate Democrats voted in opposition to the bill. Five Iowa House Republicans voted with them.

I have signed a bill into law today that protects the rights and freedoms of women. pic.twitter.com/bjEEsAW6aR

— Gov. Kim Reynolds (@IAGovernor), February 28, 2025

It is important to ensure that women and girls receive equal protection. “It is necessary to secure genuine equal protection for women and girls,” Reynolds said.

Reynolds said, “Unfortunately these commonsense rights were in danger because, before I passed this bill, the Civil Rights Code blurred the biological lines between sexes.”

Fox News reported that Iowa Democrats added protections for transgender people to the civil rights code of their state in 2007.

Reynolds added that the blurring of lines forced taxpayers to pay for gender reassignment surgery. She said this funding was “unacceptable” to her and “to many Iowans.”

Reynolds admitted that signing the bill could be a “sensitive issue” for those who were misinformed. She stated that the bill simply brought Iowa into line with federal civil rights law and most other states.

Aime Wichtendahl, Democrat Iowa State Rep., criticized the bill and claimed that it could lead to anti-transgender prejudice in society. Wichtendahl stated that the letter was sent to her by her property management company, telling her she had 30 days from the date of transitioning on the job.

Wichtendahl said, “This bill removes protections for our jobs, homes, and ability to access credit. The purpose of the bill is to further erase our existence and stigmatize us.”

Wichtendahl is the first transgender woman — a man who identifies as female — to be elected to Iowa’s state legislature.