GOP advances governor's education bill banning gender identity lessons for some grades

DES MOINES, Iowa — Three Republican State Senators advanced Governor Kim Reynolds' education bill that would ban gender identity lessons for Iowa kids K-3rd grade, and force teachers to out kids who are transgender to their parents, among other things.

Dozens of people packed the subcommittee hearing over the bill (read full bill here), some voicing support for the legislation and others saying it will end up hurting the most vulnerable students in the state.

"To put it simply, this bill stinks. It's anti-students," Becky Tayler said. She's the executive director of Iowa Safe Schools.

"Classroom materials, should be curated by our educational professionals. Not politicians. The language, forcing educators to out there transgender students is particularly dangerous, especially since less than one in three transgender youth report that their homes are supportive."

The two Democrats on the subcommittee, State Senators Herman Quirmbach and Claire Celsi, agreed and voted against it.

But the three Republicans, State Senators Ken Rozenboom, Amy Sinclair, and Lynn Evans, said they favored the bill in the name of parental choice and parental rights.

"Parents are the governing authority in how their child is educated. Period." Sinclair said.

"Parents are responsible for their child's upbringing. Period. And unless there is evidence, not a gut feeling, unless there's evidence to the, contrary that that child is being harmed, then no one has a right to interfere in how that parent is parenting that child."

If the proposal passes as is, a book that has been removed from one Iowa school would remain on the shelves of other Iowa school districts. However, students would not be allowed to check that book out unless parental consent was given.

It is a way for parents to remove what they deem as questionable content from school libraries and lesson plans.

Opponents claim they are targeting books with LGBTQ+ themes and books authored by minorities.

All three Republicans said they would like to amend the bill before it passes but did not say exactly how.

It now moves on to an Iowa Senate Committee vote.