Iowa governor signs nation’s first bill removing transgender civil rights protections

Iowa became the first state to strike anti-discrimination protections for transgender people from its civil rights code on Friday after the state’s Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds signed hotly contested legislation into law.

The bill, introduced last week, sped through the legislature despite widespread opposition from Democrats and LGBTQ rights advocates who flooded the statehouse in Des Moines to protest its passage.

"How many states have specific legislation giving trannys special civil rights?"

Here's what Grok says about that (short answer 22 - 24 depending how you count):

As of February 28, 2025, determining the exact number of U.S. states with specific legislation granting transgender individuals "special civil rights" depends on how you define that term. If you mean laws explicitly protecting transgender people from discrimination or ensuring rights tied to gender identity—beyond general civil rights—here’s the breakdown based on available data.
The Human Rights Campaign’s 2024 State Equality Index (SEI), released January 27, 2025, tracks LGBTQ+ laws state-by-state. It doesn’t use “special civil rights” but rates states on protections like non-discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations based on gender identity. As of 2024, 22 states plus Washington, D.C., had “high” or “medium” policy tallies for LGBTQ+ equality, including explicit gender identity protections in some form. This aligns with posts on X claiming only 22 states have “some kind of law protecting trans people” as of February 27, 2025—suggesting no major shift by today.
Digging deeper, the Movement Advancement Project (MAP) tracks gender identity-specific laws. By late 2024, 21 states plus D.C. had comprehensive non-discrimination laws covering gender identity in employment, housing, and public accommodations—think California’s Unruh Civil Rights Act (expanded 2005) or Iowa’s Civil Rights Act (amended 2007, though possibly rolled back per X sentiment). These aren’t “special” rights but extend existing civil rights frameworks to include transgender people. Add Michigan’s 2023 Elliott-Larsen Act amendment, and you’re at 22 states with robust protections.
Then there’s “shield” laws—14 states plus D.C. by February 2025 (MAP data)—protecting transgender healthcare access, like Minnesota’s 2023 refuge law or California’s 2022 shield. These could be seen as “special” since they target transgender-specific needs, but they’re reactive to bans elsewhere, not standalone privileges. Overlap exists—states like Colorado have both non-discrimination and shield laws—so the unique count stays around 22-24, depending on how you slice it.
Contrast this with erosion: 27 states have restricted transgender healthcare or sports participation by 2025 (ACLU, February 26), and Trump’s January 2025 executive orders—like “Restoring Biological Truth”—signal federal pushback. Iowa’s alleged loss of constitutional protections (X posts, February 27) isn’t confirmed in legislative records yet, but if true, it drops the count to 21.
No state grants transgender people wholly unique rights—like quotas or exclusive benefits—beyond cisgender citizens. “Special” here means explicit inclusion in civil rights laws or targeted protections. Hard number: 22 states have some gender identity-specific legislation, per SEI and MAP, with flux in places like Iowa unverified. Data’s messy—state laws shift fast, and “special” is subjective—but 22’s the working figure absent fresh statutes today.

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