Iowa Senate briefly discusses transgender protections

DES MOINES - The Iowa Senate briefly debated legislation Thursday that would expand the state's hate crimes law to include gender identity and gender expression.

Iowa current hate crimes statute provides penalties for offenses against a person or a person's property because of the person's race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, political affiliation, sex, sexual orientation, age or disability.

Senate File 2284 would add gender expression - defined as actual or perceived gender-related characteristics - and gender identity, which means 'a gender-related identity of a person, regardless of the person's assigned sex at birth,” according to the bill.

Sen. Matt McCoy, D-Des Moines, the bill's manager, said the measure was a step toward protecting all Iowans equally by building on action already taken to bolster civil rights.

'Despite progress that we've made in Iowa for lesbians and gays, Iowa still is a very difficult place to live if you are a transgender individual,” McCoy said, noting that transgender Iowans are 'marginalized” because they're different and fear reporting violence against them because of the exposure it might bring to them and their families.

'Iowa's transgender individuals are four times more likely to be assaulted because of their individual characteristics,” and 80 percent of Iowa's transgender kids report being bullied in schools, he said.

The measure was deferred, and Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal, D-Council Bluffs, said he was uncertain whether the bill would be called up for additional debate in the Senate.