Hundreds of protestors gathered in the Iowa State Capital building in Des Moines on Monday to protest a bill that would remove gender identity protections based on for the state’s Civil Rights Act.

House Study Bill 242 seeks to abolish gender identity as a protected class in the Iowa Civil Rights Act. The 1965 law was expended to provide protections to trans and non-binary people since 2007 after Democrat lawmakers amended it.

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The revised law would allow Iowans to lose their jobs and be denied housing due to their real or perceived gender identity. Additionally, the law mandates that birth certificates reflect a person’s “sex at birth” and recognizes only two sexes, male and female.

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Many transgender people in the Hawkeye State feel scared and outraged by this situation. One Iowa, the state’s largest LGBTQ+ rights group, has called on citizens to contact Republican House Representatives and urge them to reject the bill. The group also encouraged social media users to share information about the subcommittee’s February 24 meeting to discuss the bill.

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On that Monday, protestors gathered at the Capital Building, chanting slogans like “Trans rights are human rights” and, “We’re here, we’re queer, we will not disappear.”

Youth advocacy group, Iowa We’re The Future, claimed that more than 500 protestors attended the capital demonstration.

According to the Des Moines Register, protestors packed the capital hallways. Several social media posts showed protestors holding signs disapproving of the bill. In videos of the event, protestors continually chant.

Iowa State Capital #transrightsarehumanrights #oneiowa #nohate

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— Diane (@dmjia85.bsky.social) February 24, 2025 at 2:50 PM

Hundreds of Iowans gathered in the capital today to protest HSB 242, a bill that would remove gender identity as a protected class in the Iowa Civil Rights Act.

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— Iowa Starting Line (@iowastartingline.com) February 24, 2025 at 2:37 PM

Police intervened after lawmakers said they were having difficulty hearing supportive testimony in favor of the bill over the chants. Officers reportedly arrested two protesters.