Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed SF482, barring transgender students from school restrooms matching their gender identity

On March 22, 2023, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds signed Senate File 482 into law, enacting new Iowa Code sections 216.9A and 280.33. The law requires every K-12 public and nonpublic school to designate single- and multiple-occupancy restrooms, locker rooms, changing rooms, and shower rooms for use only by students of the same "biological sex" — defined as the sex listed on a student's official birth certificate issued at or near birth — and prohibits any person from entering a facility that does not correspond with that sex. The statute bars transgender students from using facilities that match their gender identity.

Beyond restrooms and changing areas, the law directs schools to provide separate, private areas by sex for extracurricular activities and overnight accommodations. A student seeking greater privacy may, with written parental consent, request alternative facilities such as a single-occupancy or unisex restroom, but the statute forbids any accommodation that grants access to a facility designated for the opposite sex while opposite-sex students are or could be present. Enforcement runs through a citizen-complaint mechanism: any Iowa resident may notify a school of an alleged violation, and if it is not cured within three business days, file a complaint with the Iowa Attorney General, who may investigate and bring a court action for equitable relief.

SF482 passed the Iowa Senate 33-16 and the House 57-39, drawing support only from Republicans, before reaching the governor. The enrolled Act, designated Chapter 8 of the Acts of the 90th General Assembly, was deemed of immediate importance and took effect upon enactment on the day it was approved. By assigning facility use by birth certificate and empowering the state's chief legal officer to sue schools that do not comply, the law directs public and nonpublic schools across Iowa to treat transgender students differently on the basis of gender identity.