""These individuals were exercising their constitutional and civil rights when they were singled out and removed from the Iowa Capitol solely because of their identity and their affiliation with an LGBTQ+ organization," Devin C. Kelly, an attorney for the students, told the outlet. "At a time when LGBTQ+ Iowans and their families continue to face growing challenges, this settlement reaffirms a simple truth: all Iowans are equal under the law.""
"The Iowa Civil Rights Act first added gender identity in 2007, banning discrimination in employment, housing, education, public accommodations, and other aspects of life. Republicans voted to remove gender identity from the law in February, effectively legalizing discrimination against trans people. Because the incident occurred in 2020 and the lawsuit was filed in 2022, the students still qualified for damages under the law."
Iowa agreed to pay $85,000 to a group of transgender students who were barred from using a restroom at the Capitol during a March 2020 advocacy trip. The State Appeal Board approved the settlement without the state admitting wrongdoing. A state trooper prevented the students, about 150 in number, from using a bathroom and the Iowa State Patrol forced the group to leave while allegedly not allowing retrieval of belongings. The Iowa Civil Rights Act included gender identity protections since 2007, but Republicans later removed those protections; the students qualified for damages because the incident and lawsuit fell under the prior law.
Read at Advocate.com
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