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State Troopers Eject Trans Students From Iowa Capitol Bathroom

The removal, caught on tape, appears to violate state law.

A group of Iowa high school students lobbying for LGBTQ rights at the state capitol building got a nasty surprise when police threw them out for using bathrooms that aligned with their genders.

More than 150 students were illegally ejected from the statehouse in Des Moines March 11 by state troopers, says Nate Monson, executive director of Iowa Safe Schools, who brings students to the capitol annually on Student Day. Students attended this year to lobby against conversion therapy and gay/trans panic defense, Monson says.

“Around 12:30, I started hearing that capitol security and state troopers were pulling students out of the bathroom that they were using and asking them about their gender,” Monson tells NewNowNext. “I thought that that was quite odd.”

A few minutes later four state troopers approached a group of students sitting on the floor and told them that they also had to leave the building, according to Monson. “The troopers were being quite aggressive,” he claims.

Video footage, taken on a cell phone, shows Monson telling a trooper that the Iowa Civil Rights Act protects gender identity.

“Not in restrooms,” a trooper replies. “That is not a gender neutral restroom. It is a male restroom.”

The students protest as they are told to exit the building.

“You cannot go in the men’s restroom as a female,” the trooper says. He then threatens them with arrest if they don't leave.

In a statement, the Iowa State Patrol defended the ejections, stating that they and Capitol Security were responding to citizen complaints of people using male restrooms in the capitol.

“The concerned parties expressed concern because the occupants included both adult and minor females,” the statement reads. “On three separate occasions, Capitol Security requested the adult and minor females discontinue the use of the male restroom and directed them to the gender-neutral restrooms located in the Capitol should they so desire. The group refused to comply with the requests and were escorted from the Capitol by members of the Iowa State Patrol without incident or arrest.”

Iowa civil rights law specifically protects gender identity in public accommodations, including restrooms. A brochure created by the state’s Civil Rights Commission states that individuals are allowed to use the restrooms that align with their gender identity, rather than sex assigned at birth.

“And, just as non-transgender individuals are entitled to use a restroom appropriate to their gender identity without having to provide documentation or respond to invasive requests, transgender individuals must also be allowed to use a gender-identity appropriate restroom without being harassed or questioned,” it continues.

Still, Monson says all of the LGBTQ students in the entire building were ushered out, identified by their rainbow garb. Approximately 150 students were told to leave the building, he says.

The incident has been condemned by national LGBTQ groups, including suicide prevention organization The Trevor Project.

“We urge Iowa officials to uphold the law and to foster the creation of safe, affirming environments for all LGBTQ youth, who are already at higher risk of discrimination and suicidality,” says Casey Pick, The Trevor Project's senior fellow for advocacy and government affairs.

Monson says the incident caused many students to have panic attacks. The group is still assessing what they will do in response.

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