Iowa’s ACLU Sues to Block Law Banning LGBTQ+ Materials in Schools

A lawsuit was filed in federal court Tuesday seeking to block parts of a restrictive Iowa law that prevents teachers from educating students about gender and sexuality and bans books that depict sex acts from school libraries. The American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa and Lambda Legal filed the complaint on behalf of seven Iowa students, their families, and Iowa Safe Schools, a nonprofit focused on LGBTQ+ issues. The suit claims the law, enacted this fall, “seeks to silence LGBTQ+ students, erase any recognition of LGBTQ+ people from public schools, and bans books with sexual or LGBTQ+ content,” according to the Associated Press. Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds backed the legislation in a written statement, saying it serves to protect “children from pornography and sexually explicit content.”