Responses and Resources
Pen America - PEN America - The Freedom to Write
ACLU of Iowa - ACLU of Iowa (aclu-ia.org)
SPLC - Iowa | Southern Poverty Law Center (splcenter.org)
Youth Pride - Home | Youth Pride Association (ypapride.org)
ADA -The Americans with Disabilities Act | ADA.gov
Resources for students and faculty:
Iowa Black Alumni Association | University of Iowa Center for Advancement (foriowa.org)
Resources for Students | Iowa Safe Schools
Transgender and Nonbinary Resources - One Iowa
In 2023, Iowa's House File 616, the successor to House Study Bill 218, was introduced and placed on the calendar for a first reading. Had it passed, the bill would have prohibited colleges and universities governed by the Iowa State Board of Regents from funding diversity, equity, and inclusion offices and officers. However, the bill failed to pass before the end of the legislative session.
This April, a budget bill (Senate File 2435) was introduced in Iowa that includes a provision banning DEI offices at state colleges and universities and limiting the types of positions and viewpoints an institution can promote. Viewpoints that schools cannot promote include allyship, antiracism, microaggressions, systemic oppression, gender theory, transgender ideology, and more.
SF 2435 was enrolled by the end of the month and officially signed into law by Governor Kim Reynolds on May 9, 2024.