Iowa Bars Local Gender Identity Protections After Rolling Back Civil Rights Code

New law prevents cities and counties from having civil rights protections beyond state code

Mar. 12, 2026 at 1:18am

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A new Iowa law bans local nondiscrimination protections on the basis of gender identity after the state became the first in the U.S. to rollback its civil rights code last year. The preemption law took effect immediately after Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds signed it, preventing cities and counties from having civil rights protections that go beyond the categories identified in state code.

Why it matters

This law overrides local protections for LGBTQ+ residents, particularly transgender and gender non-conforming individuals, and prevents cities and counties from responding to the specific needs of their communities. It comes after Iowa became the first state to roll back its civil rights code, raising concerns about the erosion of hard-won civil rights protections.

The details

The new law bans local nondiscrimination protections based on gender identity, even in liberal cities like Des Moines and Iowa City that have had such protections for decades. Republicans say the law provides clarity, while Democrats argue it is an extreme overreach that prevents local governments from addressing the needs of their communities. Iowa's civil rights law protects against discrimination based on race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, religion, national origin or disability status, but gender identity was not originally included and was only added in 2007.

  • The new law took effect immediately on March 12, 2026 when Gov. Kim Reynolds signed it.
  • Last year, Iowa became the first state to roll back its civil rights code.
  • In 2007, the then-Democratic-controlled Legislature added sexual orientation and gender identity to Iowa's Civil Rights Act of 1965.
  • On July 1, 2025, the rollback of Iowa's civil rights code took effect, removing Iowans' ability to request a change to the sex designation on their birth certificate.
  • From January through June 2025, there were 208 birth certificate sex designation changes, significantly higher than the 135 requests in all of 2024.

The players

Kim Reynolds

Republican Governor of Iowa who signed the new law banning local gender identity protections.

Steve Holt

Republican state Representative who said the preemption law provides clarity on which classes are protected.

Laura Bergus

Iowa City Council member and lawyer who said the new law is an 'extreme overreach' and that the city is considering legal action.

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What they’re saying

“There could literally be hundreds of situations where we have conflicts with local ordinances. And considering the climate that we're in today, a patchwork of different civil rights ordinances would be extremely difficult for businesses and schools to navigate.”

— Steve Holt, Republican state Representative

“We just believe that locals should follow the state law especially when it comes to civil rights, otherwise we have a mismatch of rights out there. We thought that it was important that they be consistent.”

— Kim Reynolds

“Our local leadership remains committed to protecting all of us.”

— Laura Bergus, Iowa City Council member and lawyer

What’s next

Iowa City is considering legal action to challenge the new law, which they view as an 'extreme overreach' that prevents local governments from responding to the needs of their communities.

The takeaway

This law represents a significant rollback of LGBTQ+ rights in Iowa, overriding local protections for transgender and gender non-conforming individuals and preventing cities and counties from addressing the specific needs of their communities. It comes after Iowa became the first state to roll back its civil rights code, raising concerns about the erosion of hard-won civil rights protections.