Iowa: Federal Judge Temporarily Blocks Law Which Bans Certain Books and Prohibits Discussion of LGBTQ Issues in Elementary Schools

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – A federal judge has temporarily blocked parts of an Iowa law that bans all books depicting “sex acts” from school libraries and prohibits teachers from raising “gender identity” and “sexual orientation” issues with students through the sixth grade, the Associated Press reports.

In his Dec. 22 ruling, Judge Stephen Locher did allow a provision in the law to stand that requires educators to inform parents if their child asks to change their pronouns or name.

Passed by Iowa’s Republican-led Legislature and signed by GOP Gov. Kim Reynolds in May last year, the law was set to go into effect on Jan.1, AP reports. In blocking the book ban and the prohibition on discussion of gender and sexual orientation issues, Locher said the law was “incredibly broad.”

Although the law was not due to be implemented until Monday, hundreds of books have already been removed from Iowa school libraries. In his ruling, Locher said the book-ban part of the law may violate constitutional rights to free speech, noting that the volumes already removed include history books, classics, award-winning novels, and “even books designed to help students avoid being victimized by sexual assault,” AP reports.

Similarly, when issuing a temporary injunction on the prohibition against any discussion of “gender identity” and “sexual orientation” in elementary school, Locher said the Iowa law was “wildly overbroad,” AP reports.

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