Transgender in Iowa: Know Your Rights

The United States Supreme Court has found that Title VII, a federal civil rights law that applies to discrimination in employment, protects transgender people. The 2025 Iowa Civil Rights Act amendment did not—and cannot—take that away. So Iowa employers are still bound by Title VII.

• Other federal civil rights laws that protect transgender people include Title IX, which requires nondiscrimination in education on the basis of sex, sex stereotypes, and including gender or gender identity.
• Federal disability related civil rights laws, like the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act, also protect people against discrimination on the basis of gender dysphoria.

Many Iowa municipalities and counties already have their own nondiscrimination ordinances and policies that protect against discrimination because someone is transgender. The Iowa Civil Rights Act allows for independent, local-level civil rights protections. And there are local civil rights commissions that enforce these rights around the state. (Here is a list.)

• The courts have not yet been asked to decide if these protections apply after the 2025 amendment to the Iowa Civil Rights Act to remove gender identity nondiscrimination protections at the state level. But we think, based on the text of the statute and cases arising in other contexts which are analogous, that many of them should continue to protect transgender people from discrimination at the local level, at least where there isn’t a conflict with a state law (for example, there is a state law preempting local ordinances regulating wages).

Iowa law provides that all Iowa schools must have policies in place that prohibit bullying, set out procedures to protect students who experience bullying, and establish rules to help students who complain of bullying. Harassment and bullying in school remain prohibited, whether because someone is transgender or for some other reason.

The United States and Iowa Constitutions protect all of us. Some important rights in these Constitutions to know about include the right of free speech and expression. This would apply to how you express yourself and your sex and your gender: how you speak, what you say, how you dress, how you dance, sing and inhabit your body, what you write, what you read, how you protest, who your friends are and who you associate with, and on and on and on.

• The Constitutions also protect against unwarranted government surveillance, searches, and seizures, and gives us all important privacy rights from the government.
• And the state and federal constitutions guarantee Equal Protection. That is supposed to mean that the government cannot pass laws or policies motivated by animus toward one group, including transgender people.
• We are clear-eyed that the government doesn’t always follow the Constitution, and that the courts may not always work as they should to protect constitutional rights. That’s why groups like the ACLU and others exist, and we’re not going anywhere.

There may be nondiscrimination policies that aim to provide a nondiscriminatory and inclusive environment for you at work, school, or as a customer, outside of, and regardless of, state law.

• For example, many employers in Iowa will continue to support workers who are transgender with policies governing privacy, employee records, names and pronouns, transitioning on the job, restrooms and locker rooms, dress codes, discrimination/harassment, and medical insurance coverage for gender affirming care.
• More than 1,000 businesses in Iowa have pledged to maintain inclusive spaces for transgender people.

If you are transgender and experience discrimination, you still have rights, you still have allies, and you still have power. You can take action. Here are some things you can do:

• Talk to an attorney. An attorney can help you problem-solve. If you’ve experienced discrimination because you are transgender—even in the areas that used to be covered in the Iowa Civil Rights Act—an attorney can help you determine if the law gives you a remedy. For example, maybe the Iowa Civil Rights Act no longer itself makes discrimination by a landlord illegal—but the federal Fair Housing Act still applies to protect against discrimination based on sex. On top of that, the landlord may still have violated other rights that you have as a tenant that you can seek to enforce under Iowa’s Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act. The best person to advise you is a lawyer, who can review your unique circumstances and help identify options for you moving forward.
  • The Iowa Bar Association maintains a directory to help people find attorneys in their area in Iowa by practice type.
  • If you are low-income, you may qualify for free legal assistance from Iowa Legal Aid, and we would encourage you to pursue that option.
  • The ACLU of Iowa accepts confidential legal requests for assistance by email: legal.program@aclu-ia.org.
• File a complaint. In many cases, an important first step is to file a complaint—whether that’s a complaint of bullying or harassment filed with your school; a complaint of harassment filed with your employer, a private business, a local civil rights commission, a police department, the Iowa Office of Civil Rights (even after the amendment, since the discrimination you experienced may still be covered under another area of the Iowa Civil Rights Act, or by federal law), a federal agency, or a court, in the form of a lawsuit. You may not need a lawyer to file a complaint. However, a lawyer can help you determine who best to file a complaint with, when to file a complaint, and what you should and shouldn’t say to best protect your interests.
• Find community and ask for help. You belong in Iowa, and we’re so glad you are here. In addition to the ACLU of Iowa, which works to protect the civil liberties and legal rights of everyone, there are many transgender community groups that you might want to reach out to for support and community. There may be local groups or groups online.
  • At the statewide level, you can reach out to One Iowa.
  • Here is a great list of transgender resources compiled by GLAAD.
• Other ways to take action: Maybe you will find power and change by sharing your story, whatever that means to you, taking your own needs, safety, and what feels comfortable and right to you into account. Maybe you share what happened to you with friends and family, with coworkers, neighbors, on social media, or even with a reporter. Maybe you start or attend a protest or demonstration. Maybe you contact your representatives in local, state, or federal government about what happened, and ask for change. Maybe you volunteer. Maybe you take action by voting, or even running for office.