Seven Iowa students are named as plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that challenges a new, sweeping state law that places restrictions on LGBTQ students and school materials.
The ACLU of Iowa joined two law firms in filing a lawsuit in federal court challenging Iowa Senate File 496, which prohibits the instruction of gender identity and sexual orientation through sixth grade, prohibits books with descriptions of sex acts and requires parental notification when a student wants to be referred to by a different pronoun or name.
The law was passed by Republican state lawmakers and signed into law in May by Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds.
ADVERTISING
The lawsuit asks the court for an immediate halt to enforcement of the law during its legal challenge. Attorneys said the lawsuit argues the state law violates the First Amendment right to free speech of Iowa’s LGBTQ students, and asks the court to find the entire law unconstitutional.
“Reading has always been a fundamental part of how I learned to understand the world around me. Every student should have the right to do the same: to be able to learn about people, cultures, and perspectives and to be able to learn about all of the world around them — not just parts of it,” Puck Carlson, a senior from Iowa City who is one of the seven student plaintiffs in the lawsuit, said Tuesday in a statement. “Furthermore, every student should be able to see themselves in their libraries — so that they not only understand the world around them but that they also belong in it.”
The lawsuit also was filed on behalf of Iowa Safe Schools, a nonprofit organization that advocates for LGBTQ students in Iowa.
This is a breaking story. Check back with thegazette.com for updates.
The ACLU of Iowa joined two law firms in filing a lawsuit in federal court challenging Iowa Senate File 496, which prohibits the instruction of gender identity and sexual orientation through sixth grade, prohibits books with descriptions of sex acts and requires parental notification when a student wants to be referred to by a different pronoun or name.
The law was passed by Republican state lawmakers and signed into law in May by Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds.
ADVERTISING
The lawsuit asks the court for an immediate halt to enforcement of the law during its legal challenge. Attorneys said the lawsuit argues the state law violates the First Amendment right to free speech of Iowa’s LGBTQ students, and asks the court to find the entire law unconstitutional.
“Reading has always been a fundamental part of how I learned to understand the world around me. Every student should have the right to do the same: to be able to learn about people, cultures, and perspectives and to be able to learn about all of the world around them — not just parts of it,” Puck Carlson, a senior from Iowa City who is one of the seven student plaintiffs in the lawsuit, said Tuesday in a statement. “Furthermore, every student should be able to see themselves in their libraries — so that they not only understand the world around them but that they also belong in it.”
The lawsuit also was filed on behalf of Iowa Safe Schools, a nonprofit organization that advocates for LGBTQ students in Iowa.
This is a breaking story. Check back with thegazette.com for updates.
