by Clark Kauffman, Iowa Capital Dispatch
May 16, 2025
A federal judge has again temporarily blocked portions of an Iowa law aimed at restricting schools’ recognition of LGBTQ+ people and banning books with sexual or LGBTQ+ content.
The law, which was signed by Gov. Kim Reynolds in May 2023, was immediately challenged by Lambda Legal and ACLU of Iowa on behalf of students, teachers and the organization Iowa Safe Schools.
As originally written, the law prohibits school districts and educators from providing “any program, curriculum, test, survey, questionnaire, promotion, or instruction relating to gender identity or sexual orientation to students in kindergarten through grade six.”
