(Des Moines, IA) — A federal judge says Iowa schools can restrict instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation up until the sixth grade.
The ruling states teachers are not allowed to provide any mandatory instruction on the topics. However, the judge ruled schools in the state must let non-mandatory programs related to the topics take place. The ruling said students must be allowed to join Gender Sexuality Alliances and other related groups.
The decision is related to a law signed by Governor Kim Reynolds in 2023 that banned teachers from speaking on gender and sexual orientation topics with their students.
LGBTQ advocacy groups, teachers, and students sued the state over the law.
