On Friday, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds enacted legislation that removes gender identity from the state’s civil rights law, positioning Iowa as the first state to withdraw protections for this previously safeguarded class.

The bill was approved by the Republican-controlled state Senate, passing with a vote of 33-15 a day earlier. Shortly after, the House quickly followed suit, approving its own version of the legislation with a vote of 60-36, with five Republican members voting alongside Democrats in opposition.

In a statement made Friday, Reynolds, a Republican, asserted that the new law “protects the rights of women and girls.” She stated that the civil rights code’s protections against discrimination based on gender identity had “blurred the biological distinctions between the sexes,” and indicated that it unfairly obliged Iowa taxpayers to fund gender-reassignment surgeries.

“We all agree that every Iowan, without exception, deserves respect and dignity,” Reynolds remarked. “This bill strengthens protections for women and girls, which I believe is the correct course of action.”

The Iowa Civil Rights Act broadly prohibits discrimination in various sectors, including employment, housing, education, and credit. In 2007, when Democrats were in charge, the Legislature expanded these protections to include LGBTQ individuals by adding sexual orientation and gender identity to the list of safeguarded classes.

The new legislation eliminates gender identity from the code. Additionally, it mandates that birth certificates must reflect a person’s sex assigned at birth and removes a provision that previously allowed transgender individuals to amend their birth certificate sex marker with a notarized statement from a physician affirming medical transition.

The law also alters a measure that Reynolds signed in 2023, which bars instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity for grades K-6, replacing the term “gender identity” with “gender theory.” This term is described as the idea that an individual can have “an internal sense of gender that doesn’t align with their sex” assigned at birth. Critics have referred to this legislation as a “don’t say gay” law.

During the House debate on Thursday, Democratic State Representative Aime Wichtendahl, Iowa’s first openly transgender lawmaker, stated that the bill “revokes rights related to our homes and our access to credit. Essentially, it strips away our life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness.” She expressed that transitioning had been a lifesaving decision for her.

“Every anti-trans and anti-LGBTQ bill ultimately seeks to make our existence illegal, forcing us back into hiding,” she declared, visibly emotional.

Republican State Senator Jason Schultz, who introduced the Senate version of the bill, indicated that the civil rights code has previously played a role in various court decisions favoring transgender rights, including a ruling in 2023 that mandated state Medicaid to cover transition-related services, as reported by the Des Moines Register.

He expressed concerns that the existing protections for transgender individuals could be leveraged against the state’s laws barring trans athletes from participating in sports aligned with their gender identities, along with another law prohibiting transition-related care for minors.

“These legal protections are under threat due to the inclusion of the term ‘gender identity’ in our code,” Schultz remarked on Thursday.

Following the Senate vote on Thursday, over 2,000 individuals participated in protests, as reported by local media and Planned Parenthood Advocates of Iowa, holding signs declaring, “Trans rights are human rights.” The crowd reacted with boos and chants directed at senators post-vote, according to the Des Moines Register.

Before putting her signature on the bill, Reynolds claimed it was intended to align Iowa with federal regulations and the standards of the majority of states. However, federal law, established by the Supreme Court’s 2020 ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County, prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Levels of protection against discrimination based on gender identity vary across state and local jurisdictions, with 23 states explicitly forbidding such discrimination in employment, 22 states banning it in housing, and 27 states prohibiting gender identity discrimination in public accommodations, according to research by the Movement Advancement Project, an LGBTQ advocacy organization.

In response to the passage of the bill, Wichtendahl expressed to NBC News that it felt like a “gut punch,” sharing that she had heard from transgender constituents who are now fearful for their safety. Her message to them was to remain united.

“Do not succumb to despair, because living your life fearlessly in these challenging times represents the greatest act of defiance,” she encouraged. “I understand that after yesterday, this becomes a more daunting task, but it’s the ultimate act of rebellion, and living openly and joyfully is the most powerful statement you can make for yourself right now.”