(Radio Iowa) – A bill to remove gender identity from the Iowa Civil Rights Act cleared a Senate committee Wednesday afternoon and the panel’s chairman expects the full Senate to begin debating the bill tomorrow Thursday morning.
Democrats oppose the bill. Senator Janet Petersen of Des Moines says Iowa should be known as a state that advances civil rights rather than one that yanks them away.
Republican Senator Jason Schultz of Schleswig says the bill is necessary to block lawsuits seeking to overturn recent Iowa laws that prohibit biological males from playing in girls sports or being in school restrooms designated for girls only.
