civil rights

In the year since Iowa lawmakers repealed state civil rights based on gender identity, transgender and nonbinary Iowans have experienced fear, anxiety and uncertainty. The historic legislation has forced transgender Iowans to contemplate their future in the state. Some have left, and others are navigating how to continue living in the state.

The Ames City Council passed an ordinance Tuesday prohibiting discrimination in employment, housing and education based on an individual’s gender identity. It comes about a year after the state removed gender identity from the Iowa Civil Rights Act, which sparked some cities to adopt resolutions affirming local protections.

Under a bill advanced by an Iowa House subcommittee Monday, local municipalities would be banned from adding their own civil rights protections beyond those in state law, including those prohibiting discrimination based on gender identity.

Protest movements have been part of American history since before the United States was founded. In this episode, we hear from historians Ashley Howard, Amy Rutenberg and Daniel K. Williams about three different and powerful protest movements in U.S. history — the civil rights movement, anti-war movement during the Vietnam War and the anti-abortion movement. We’ll also talk about the strengths, weaknesses, successes and failures of these movements.

The City of Coralville passed a resolution affirming its protections for the LGBTQ community. It’s the second city to do so after state lawmakers removed gender identity as a protected class from the Iowa Civil Rights Act earlier this year.

Former state Rep. Helen Miller on her memoir I Don't Swim. Then, water safety tips from an Iowa swim instructor.

Gender identity is no longer part of the Iowa Civil Rights Act. The change is part of a sweeping law that also defines a person’s sex by what was assigned at birth. As transgender and nonbinary Iowans navigate the uncertainties, hope is still found in community.

As Pride Month celebrations and protests come to an end, so too do the state civil rights protections for transgender and nonbinary Iowans. That’s because earlier this year, Iowa became the first state to remove gender identity as a protected status in its civil rights code.

Gender identity as a protected class will soon be removed from the Iowa Civil Rights Act. This hour, how people and communities are responding.

A conversation with author Peniel Joseph about his new book Freedom Season: How 1963 Transformed America's Civil Rights Revolution.