Iowa to pay $85k to settle lawsuit after trans students denied Capitol restroom access

The state of Iowa has agreed to pay $85,000 to settle a lawsuit brought by LGBTQ+ students and advocates who were removed from the Iowa State Capitol in 2020 after transgender students were denied access to restrooms consistent with their gender identity.

The settlement comes six months after Iowa removed gender identity as a protected class from its civil rights laws.

In 2020, Iowa Safe Schools, an LGBTQ+ youth advocacy organization, organized a visit for approximately 150 students and chaperones to meet with state legislators. During the visit, Iowa State Patrol troopers allegedly prevented several transgender students from using the restrooms of their choice, directing them to use a gender-neutral restroom instead.

Nate Monson, then-executive director of Iowa Safe Schools, intervened, asserting that the troopers' actions were inconsistent with existing state law, which at the time included gender identity as a protected class. In response, the entire group was ordered to leave the Capitol, banned from the grounds, and warned of arrest if they returned.

LGBTQ+ Nation reported that the students and Iowa Safe Schools leaders filed a lawsuit in 2022, alleging sex-based discrimination, harassment, and unlawful retaliation.

Under the terms of the settlement agreement, approved by the Iowa State Board of Appeals, the state will pay the plaintiffs to resolve the case without admitting any wrongdoing.

"These individuals were exercising their constitutional and civil rights when they were singled out and removed from the Iowa Capitol solely because of their identity and their affiliation with an LGBTQ+ organization," stated Devin C. Kelly, an attorney for the plaintiffs. "At a time when LGBTQ+ Iowans and their families continue to face growing challenges, this settlement reaffirms a simple truth: all Iowans are equal under the law."

In a letter to the Board of Appeals, state attorney Jeffrey Peterzalek noted that the plaintiffs’ legal claims "would now not be allowed" under the updated Civil Rights Act, which removed gender identity as a protected class in February.