A Historic Decision
On February 27, Iowa legislators passed a law removing gender identity protections from the Iowa Civil Rights Act, becoming the first state in the nation to move backwards on civil rights protections. As written, this law would legally allow for employers, medical providers, business owners, landlords, and creditors to refuse service to transgender, nonbinary and gender non-conforming Iowans based solely on their perceived status as transgender.
Prior to this legislation, Iowa has had a history of being a leader on civil rights. In 1855, the newly-established University of Iowa opened and admitted both men and women to its student body; and in 1873 the university admitted its first Black students. In 1867, Iowa’s Supreme Court found segregation in schools to be unlawful, holding that “separate” was not “equal” — a full 87 years before the United States Supreme Court’s Brown v. Board of Education ruling. In 2009, the Iowa Supreme Court found it discriminatory to deny gay couples the right to marry, making Iowa the 3rd state to legalize gay marriage. In addition to these historic firsts, the state of Iowa and its public institutions have a long history of being at the forefront of human rights on issues of women’s suffrage, peaceful protest, racial justice, and LGBTQ+ rights.
I believe that the decision by our state leadership to pass this law is a stain on our legacy.
It is a rejection of our state motto, “Our liberties we prize, and our rights we will maintain.” It is a morally-hollow choice and a forsaking of our common refrain of “Iowa Nice.” I believe that allowing state-sanctioned prejudice against a class of people because they are “different” is a dark echo of other atrocities committed throughout our nation’s history.
On the day of the vote, I arrived early in the morning at the capitol with a camera and stayed well past the time most other journalists had left, intent on capturing the scenes of hope, community, and—ultimately—deep sadness and grief from the day.
This observational documentary is one of the most important things I’ve made in my career. Whatever your political persuasion may be, I believe you’ll find this short documentary to be an intimate look at the people affected by this ruling, and hopefully a gateway to compassion for our fellow Iowans.
Visit One Iowa to join Around the Corner Productions in support of civil rights in Iowa.