DES MOINES, Iowa — Iowa can a book ban this school year, following a ruling by a federal appeals court on Friday.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit has reversed a district judge’s earlier decision, namely temporarily stopped key parts of the law, including a ban on books depicting sexual acts in school libraries and classrooms.
The law, which was passed in 2023 by the Republican Legislature and GOP Gov. Kim Reynolds, also bans teachers from discussing gender identity and sexual orientation with younger students.
Reynolds said in a statement that the ruling reinforces the belief that “it should be parents who decide when and whether sexually explicit books are appropriate for their children.”
“This victory will ensure that age-appropriate books and content are in classrooms and libraries,” Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird said in a statement. “With this victory, parents no longer have to fear what their children are exposed to in school when they are not there.”
LGBTQIA+ youth, teachers and major publishers accused in November to permanently overturn the law, which they said resulted in the removal of hundreds of books from Iowa schools before U.S. District Judge Stephen Locher blocked its enforcement in december.
In addition to removing books with LGBTQ+ themes from libraries, schools also shut down extracurricular clubs dedicated to the issues and removed pride flags from classrooms, the students’ attorneys argued in court. Students were required to self-censor about their gender identity and sexual orientation, the plaintiffs’ attorneys said.
“Denying LGBTQ+ youth the opportunity to see themselves represented in classrooms and books sends a harmful message of shame and stigma that should not exist in schools,” said attorneys for the plaintiffs, Lambda Legal, the ACLU of Iowa and Jenner. & Block said this in a joint statement.
Attorneys for the state of Iowa argued that the law is constitutional and that the state has the right to enforce it.
Iowa passed its law amid a wave of similar legislation across the country. Republican lawmakers typically propose the bills, saying they are designed to affirming the rights of parents and protect children. The laws often attempt to ban discussions about gender and sexual orientation, prohibit treatments such as puberty blockers for transgender children, and use of toilets in schools. Many have been urged to legal challenges.