Gender and Gender Issues

Iowa House Republicans are putting their own stamp on Gov. Kim Reynolds’ education bill, while keeping most of the main parts of the legislation in place.

When environmental and other factors are right, girls and women learn at least a little about menstruation before they experience their first period.

School curriculum cannot discuss sexual orientation or gender identity under the Iowa Senate bill passed Wednesday, and books that include sexual activity would be banned.

Iowa officials say the state will not participate in the Center for Disease Control's 2023 Youth Behavior Survey to focus on the state's Iowa Youth Survey.

Discussions around gender and women's rights have had a large uptick in state legislatures and among the nation's leaders.

Lawmakers have considered close to 30 bills regarding LGBTQ Iowans this session. They range from banning gender affirming care for transgender youth to requiring parents to be notified and approve of their child wanting to change their preferred name or pronouns. Families with LGBTQ children in central Iowa say it’s hard for their kids to feel accepted.

The proposal bars teachers from making gender identity or sexual orientation part of classroom instruction, while another proposal outlaws books with sexual content in school libraries.

The proposal blocks Iowa doctors from providing care that would aid transgender youth in making a medical transition, such as hormone therapy, puberty blockers or surgery.

If the bills pass, doctors would be banned from providing gender-affirming care to minors and transgender students would be barred from using bathrooms that match their gender identity.

Gov. Kim Reynolds’ version of a bill banning school curriculum and class instruction related to gender identity covers kindergarten through third grade.