HF 583 and SF 418 are bills that would remove gender identity as a protected class under Iowa’s civil rights code. There is a public hearing for HF 583 on February 27, and IMHCA issued the following public comment opposing this legislation:
The Iowa Mental Health Counselors Association (IMHCA) is a membership organization which represents over 800 licensed mental health counselors all across the state. IMHCA stands strongly against this legislation, and urges all legislators to oppose this bill. Removing gender identity from the civil rights code opens the door for an already marginalized group to face increased stigma and discrimination. The negative impact of politics on all youth, and especially LGBTQ+ youth is pronounced, and contributes to those youth and their families leaving states which are not LGBTQ+ friendly (The Trevor Project, 2025), and alarmingly, anti-transgender laws have been attributable to rises in suicide attempts of trans youth, by as much as 72% in some states (Lee et al., 2024).
Given that we are at a time of unprecedented mental health crises, removing basic civil rights protections is undoubtedly going to contribute to increased suffering for even more Iowans. Our membership will be directly impacted by trying to keep up with the ongoing and urgent increases in demand for mental health care as a result of this unnecessary attack on the basic civil rights of our fellow Americans. Please oppose this legislation and maintain civil rights protections for all Iowans.