We are tracking 31 anti-trans bills in Iowa in 2025. The legislation impacts 7 categories:
EDUCATION
PERFORMANCE
HEALTHCARE
OTHER
BIRTH CERTIFICATES
BATHROOM
ADOPTION
“Grooming behavior” means any behavior, which in light of all relevant circumstances, constitutes actions to entice or entrap a student or students with the intent to make such student or students engage in a sex act the process of building trust and emotional connections with a student with the intent to exploit such student.
A public institution of higher education, or can you employee, appointee, or committee acting on his behalf, shall not require [...] faculty of the institution to apply or participate in diversity, equity, inclusion, and critical race theory practices or include diversity, equity, inclusion, and critical race theory-related content in any course as a condition of approval, designation, or listing as part of any academic degree program, including general education; major, minor, or certificate requirements;
NEW SECTION. 262C.3 Standards for course content. The board shall adopt a policy to ensure that courses that satisfy the general education requirements [...] do not distort significant historical events or include any curriculum or other material that teaches identity politics.
The parent or guardian of a minor, or a minor upon attaining eighteen years of age, to whom obscene material has been knowingly disseminated or exhibited,[...] or who was exposed to an obscene performance, [...] may bring a civil action against any person who has knowingly disseminated or exhibited obscene material to the minor, or who engaged in, caused, or allowed a person to knowingly engage in an obscene performance in the presence of the minor.
A medical practitioner, healthcare institution, or healthcare payor has the right not to participate in or pay for a healthcare service that violates the medical practitioner’s, healthcare institution’s, or healthcare payor’s conscience.
“Sex,” when used to classify or describe a natural person, means the state of being either male or female as observed or clinically verified at birth. [...] “female” means an individual who has, had, will have through the course of normal development, or would have but for a developmental anomaly, genetic anomaly, or accident, a reproductive system that at some point produces ova, and a “male” means an individual who has, had, will have through the course of normal development, or would have but for a developmental anomaly, genetic anomaly, or accident, a reproductive system that at some point produces sperm.
"Discriminate" [...] means a financial institution's use of a social credit score to directly or indirectly decline to provide the full and equal enjoyment of financial services to a person, and includes refusing to provide, terminating, or restricting financial services to a person. [...] "Social credit score" means an analysis, reading, scoring list, or tabulation that evaluates any of the following: [...] (b) Conduct a racial, diversity, or gender audit or disclosure, or provide a quota, preference, or benefit based on race, diversity, or gender. (c) Facilitate or assist an employee in obtaining an abortion or gender reassignment services.
An Act prohibiting school districts and charter schools from taking disciplinary action against employees, contractors, or students for the use of legal names, or use of student name, as listed in school, registration, forms or records, or for the failure to use personal pronouns in official communications, and providing civil penalties.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Office Prohibited. 1. A private institution of higher education shall not [...] establish, sustain, support, or staff a diversity, equity, and inclusion office.
This bill provides that a public institution of higher education [...] includes a community college. Code chapter 261J generally prohibits public institutions of higher education from establishing diversity, equity, and inclusion offices [...or] requiring a person to provide a diversity, equity, or inclusion statement.
A state entity shall not expend any moneys appropriated by the general assembly or any other moneys derived from bequests, charges, deposits, donations, endowments, fees, grants, gifts, income, receipts, tuition, or any other source to establish, sustain, support, or staff a diversity, equity, and inclusion office, or to contract, employ, engage, or hire an individual to serve as a diversity, equity, and inclusion officer.
The world language instruction shall not alter the world language to incorporate gender-neutral language if the world language being offered and taught utilizes a grammatical gender system.
"Obscene performance" means a visual performance by a person [...] that exposes [...] prosthetics and artificial sexual organs or substitutes thereof [...] The average person, viewing the performance as a whole and applying contemporary community standards regarding what is suitable for minors, would find it appeals to the prurient interest, is patently offensive, and, taken as a whole, lacks serious artistic, literary, political, or scientific value.
A certificate of birth filed under this section shall include a designation of the sex of the person. "Sex" for purposes of this chapter means the same as defined in section 4.1A. [...] [4.1A.] “Sex,” when used to classify or describe a natural person, means the state of being either male or female as observed or clinically verified at birth. b. When used in reference to a natural person, a “female” means an individual who has, had, will have through the course of normal development, or would have but for a developmental anomaly, genetic anomaly, or accident, a reproductive system that at some point produces ova, and a “male” means an individual who has, had, will have through the course of normal development, or would have but for a developmental anomaly, genetic anomaly, or accident, a reproductive system that at some point produces sperm.
Current law defines “grooming behavior” to mean any behavior which, in light of all relevant circumstances, constitutes actions to entice or entrap a student or students with the intent to make such student or students engage in a sex act. The bill modifies “grooming behavior” to mean the process of building trust and emotional connections with a student with the intent to exploit such student.
The board shall establish a policy that ensures that public institutions of higher education odo not require or constrain students to enroll in a diversity, equity, inclusion, and critical race theory-related course, in order to satisfy the requirements of any academic degree program.
An Act prohibiting school districts, charter schools, and innovation zone schools from providing any program, curriculum, test, survey, questionnaire, promotion, or instruction relating to gender identity or sexual orientation to students in grades seven through twelve.
A school district shall not enroll a pupil in a course of instruction in human growth and development or facilitate a pupil’s attendance at an educational conference or seminar that provides information about human growth and development unless the pupil’s parent or guardian files with the appropriate principal informed consent acknowledging receipt of the information required.
“Obscene performance” means a visual performance by a person [...] that exposes the person’s [...] female breast, including prosthetics and artificial sexual organs or substitutes therefor [...] which the average person, viewing the performance as a whole and applying contemporary community standards with respect to what is suitable to be viewed by minors, would find appeals to the prurient interest and [...] taken as a whole lacks serious artistic, literary, political, or scientific value.
Designation and use of private spaces. A state entity shall require each private space located within a facility owned, operated, or controlled by the state entity to be designated only for and used by persons of the same biological sex.
NEW SECTION. 262C.3 Standards for course content. The board shall adopt a policy to ensure that courses that satisfy the general education requirements [...] do not distort significant historical events or include any curriculum or other material that teaches identity politics.
“Grooming behavior” means any pattern of behavior, which in light of all relevant circumstances, constitutes actions to entice or entrap a student or students with the intent to make take advantage of such student or students engage for the benefit of the individual engaging in the pattern of behavior, including but not limited to engaging in a sex act with the student.
"Diversity, equity, inclusion, and critical race theory-related content" means content that does one or more of the following: a. Relates any of the following topics to contemporary American society: [...] allyship, [...] race- or gender-based diversity, race- or gender-based equity, or race- or gender-based inclusion.
The bill prohibits school districts, charter schools, and innovation zone schools from establishing or expending money to establish, sustain, support, or staff a diversity, equity, and inclusion office. It also prohibits hiring or assigning an employee of the school, or contracting with a third party, to perform the duties of a diversity, equity, or inclusion office.
“Sex,” when used to classify or describe a natural person, means the state of being either male or female as observed or clinically verified at birth. [...] “female” means an individual who has, had, will have through the course of normal development, or would have but for a developmental anomaly, genetic anomaly, or accident, a reproductive system that at some point produces ova, and a “male” means an individual who has, had, will have through the course of normal development, or would have but for a developmental anomaly, genetic anomaly, or accident, a reproductive system that at some point produces sperm.
The department shall not do any of the following: a. (1) Require a prospective adoptive parent to affirm, accept, or support a policy related to sexual orientation or gender identity that conflicts with the person’s sincerely held religious or moral beliefs. (2) Preclude a person from being qualified as a prospective adoptive parent based, in whole or in part, on the person’s sincerely held religious or moral beliefs related to sexual orientation or gender identity, including but not limited to the person’s intent to guide, instruct, or raise a child in a manner consistent with the person’s sincerely held religious or moral beliefs. b. The department, and the department’s designees, shall not adopt a standard, policy, or rule that precludes a person from being considered as a child’s prospective adoptive parent based, in whole or in part, on the person’s sincerely held religious or moral beliefs related to sexual orientation or gender identity.
A city or any city board or office shall not adopt an ordinance, motion, resolution, amendment, or policy, except as otherwise provided by federal or state law, that does any of the following: (1) Establishes or maintains a diversity, equity, and inclusion office. (2) Hires or assigns an employee or contracts with a third party to perform duties of a diversity, equity, or inclusion office. (3) Compels, requires, induces, or solicits any person to provide a diversity, equity, and inclusion statement, or gives preferential consideration to any person based on the provisions of a diversity, equity, and inclusion statement.
Prohibition on disciplinary action — use of legal names or names of record — failure to use personal pronouns. The board of directors of each school district shall not take any disciplinary action against an employee of the school district, a contractor hired by the school district, or a student [...] for addressing other employees, contractors, or students using the employee’s, contractor’s, or student’s legal name. [...] for addressing other students using the student’s name as it is listed in the school district’s registration forms or records. [...] for failing to disclose or use any personal pronouns in the greeting or signature block of any form of official communication, including letters, forms, notes, or electronic mail.
"Diversity, equity, and inclusion" includes all of the following: [...] Any effort to promote or promulgate trainings, programming, or activities designed or implemented with reference to race, color, ethnicity, gender identity, or sexual orientation. [...] Any effort to promote, as the official position of the school district, a particular, widely contested opinion referencing [...] allyship, transgender ideology, [...] social justice, intersectionality, neopronouns, heteronormativity, disparate impact, gender theory, [...] or any related formulation of these concepts.