The City of Ames has established civil protections for transgender and nonbinary individuals despite a new bill moving through the Iowa Legislature that would overturn similar policies.
Gender identity was removed from the Iowa Civil Rights Act in February 2025 when Gov. Kim Reynolds signed Senate File 418 into law.
The Ames City Council initially discussed adopting an ordinance providing civil rights protection for gender identity in employment, housing, and public accommodations on Dec. 9.
The ordinance appeared before the council on Feb. 9 and was approved by a 5-1 vote, drawing resounding applause from residents in attendance. Ward 2 Rep. Tim Gartin was the lone dissenting vote, urging the council to wait for the legislation as it moves through the legislature.
The council suspended rules to allow the first and final votes to take place the same night, so the ordinance could be adopted as part of the Ames Municipal Code before the Iowa Legislature decides on House Study Bill 664.
Introduced this year, HSB 664 would ban local governments from establishing protections against gender identity-based discrimination.
Local governments can add protected classes under current law
Senate File 418 added a new section in Iowa Code Chapter 4 that defines sex as female and male. Gender is defined as a synonym for sex and “shall not be considered a synonym or shorthand expression for gender identity, experienced gender, gender expression, or gender role.”
There is nothing in the current Iowa Civil Rights Act “limiting a city or local government from enacting any ordinance or other law which prohibits broader or different categories of unfair or discriminatory practices,” according to the Iowa Code.
Iowa House bill would ban local protections for gender identity
House Study Bill 664 was approved on Monday, Feb. 9, by a House subcommittee. The bill still requires full House and Senate approval before it can be signed into law by the governor.
Rep. Ross Wilburn, D-Ames, said lawmakers should allow flexibility at the local level.
“It allows people at the local level to respond based on whatever issues they are facing, because Iowa cities are not the same,” Wilburn said at the state capitol on Monday.
Majority of Ames City Council in favor of ordinance
Though At-Large Rep. Amber Corrieri said it’s likely the Legislature will pass the bill, she still favored Ames’ ordinance, saying the Legislature hasn’t “shown any interest in listening to what municipalities have to say about property taxes or any other number of things.”
“So I’m not sure why, when it comes to protecting people from discrimination − all people, not a certain subset of them − why we would set that aside to try to build a relationship with people who have shown absolutely no interest in building a relationship with us,” Corrieri said.
Ward 1 Rep. Bronwyn Beatty-Hansen said she was not interested in caving to what she believes is “bullying behavior on the part of the Legislature.”
“As we face a state government that is increasingly inserting its control of our every move, I believe that it’s important to make Ames’ stance on this issue clear,” Beatty-Hansen said. “In Ames, we believe in equal access to housing, education and employment for all people.”
Gartin said Ames should pause moving forward with the local ordinance pending the outcome of House Study Bill 664. He insisted that “all the work done to pass it will have been in vain.”
What does Ames’ gender identity ordinance say?
Under the new ordinance, the Ames Human Relations Committee (AHRC) will investigate all complaints of gender identity discrimination while deferring all other discrimination complaints to the state.
The proposed ordinance will include a $750 penalty for a first offense and a $1,000 fine for repeat offenses.
The ordinance also includes a provision allowing a voluntary third-party mediator to help resolve disagreements.
City Attorney Mark Lambert said the ordinance will go into effect upon publication by Feb. 14.
Celia Brocker is a government, crime, political and education reporter for the Ames Tribune. She can be reached at CBrocker@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: Ames adds civil protections for gender identity despite proposed bill
Reporting by Celia Brocker, Ames Tribune / Ames Tribune
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