This afternoon, Iowa lawmakers passed H.F. 583, a bill ending protections for transgender Iowans and removing gender identity as a protected class. Thousands of protestors swarmed the Capitol building as lawmakers voted, according to the Des Moines Register.
The bill passed with a 60-36 vote in the House and a 33-15 vote in the Senate.
“Any time you allow discrimination to happen anywhere, you allow injustice to all of our people, all over this state,” Democratic Rep. Rob Johnson told the TD in response to the bill.
Chris Morse, a genderqueer junior at Drake, attended the protest this morning but had to leave before voting took place. She watched online as the Iowa legislature passed the bill.
“Today I learned that beyond a shadow of a doubt there is apparently much room for hate in my state and the passage of today’s legislation has paved the way for even more hate,” Morse said.
The bill now goes to Gov. Kim Reynolds, who will choose whether to pass or veto the bill tonight.
The TD was unable to reach Republican Chairperson Steven Holt, the author of this bill, by deadline.
This is a developing story. Stay tuned for more coverage of this bill at timesdelphic.com and @draketimesdelphic on Instagram.
