In a major setback for inclusivity, a federal appeals court has cleared the way for Iowa to enforce its controversial “Don’t Say Gay” law (SF 496).
The ruling vacates previous protections, allowing the state to resume silencing LGBTQ+ topics, purging diverse literature from libraries, and forcing the outing of trans students while legal battles continue.
The court’s decision reinstates several restrictive measures that critics argue marginalize queer youth:
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Erasure in Curriculum: Discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity is now banned from K-6 classrooms, effectively erasing LGBTQ+ families and history from early education.
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Library Purges: Schools must remove books containing “sex acts,” a broad standard that has been used to target queer-themed literature and memoirs.
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Forced Outing: Teachers are now mandated to report students who request different pronouns or names to their parents, stripping away schools as a “safe space” for vulnerable youth.
While the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the state has the authority to curate school materials, advocacy groups like the ACLU of Iowa and Lambda Legal remain committed to challenging the law in district court. They argue that SF 496 violates the fundamental rights of students to be seen, heard, and protected.
“This law doesn’t protect students—it targets them,” advocacy leaders stated. “We will continue to fight until every Iowa student can attend school without fear of being silenced.”
