Federal judge again blocks Iowa book ban; expected to rule on 'don't say gay' restrictions soon
The state has banned books depicting sex acts from school libraries and classrooms.
MARCH 27, 2025
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The state has banned books depicting sex acts from school libraries and classrooms.
Iowa would be the first state to remove these protections from its antidiscrimination law.
It's not an outright ban on the funding, but a new law says the state and its municipalities can opt out of payment.
Two trans Iowans had sued over the state's exclusion of such procedures.
The Advocate's Entertainment issue shows that LGBTQ+ storytelling and visibility are a tool in the fight against the conservative push to erase and recloset queer people.
State Sen. Tony Bisignano doubled down on calling out Republican lawmakers for stripping away civil rights protections for transgender people in an interview with The Advocate.
Health care practitioners in the state decried the ruling as a decision that "will push abortion care almost entirely out of reach in Iowa."
The list of states with bans keeps growing.
The governor made transphobic remarks before signing the bill and referred to trans female athletes as "males."
A new law allows teachers to tell parents if their kids change pronouns.
Iowa's bill seeks to bar trans girls and women from female sports, while Utah's would set up a commission to determine trans athletes' eligibility.
State Rep. Andy McKean said Donald Trump's behavior and the party's rightward drift are unacceptable to him.
The Iowa law bans abortions after cardiac activity is detectable in an embryo, something that can occur as early as six weeks of gestation. There are some exceptions to the ban, including for rape, incest and to save the life of the mother.
Critics say the “women’s bill of rights” is an “erasure” of the trans community in the state.
Iowa has stripped gender identity from its antidiscrimination law, making it the first state to remove any trait from such a statute.
Iowa’s Republican governor appeared less than pleased with the public comments.
The list of plaintiffs now included Iowa teachers, students, the Iowa State Education Association, and four bestselling authors including John Green and Jodi Picoult
Chris Godfrey says former Gov. Terry Branstad discriminated against him by demanding his resignation and cutting his pay. A jury just awarded Godfrey $1.5 million.
The judge called the ban “incredibly broad” and noted the law has already resulted in the removal of hundreds of books from Iowa libraries.