Iowa can restrict LGBTQ+ books and topics at schools, appellate court rules | Iowa

Iowa can enforce a law that restricts teachers from talking about LGBTQ+ topics with students in kindergarten through the sixth grade and bans some books in libraries and classrooms, an appellate court said on Monday.

The decision for now vacates a lower court judge’s temporary blocks on the law.

The measure was first approved by Republican majorities in the Iowa house and senate and the Republican governor, Kim Reynolds, in 2023, which they said reinforced age-appropriate education in kindergarten through 12th grades. It has been a back-and-forth battle in the courts in the three years since lawsuits were filed by the Iowa State Education Association, major publishing houses and bestselling authors, as well as Iowa Safe Schools, an LGBTQ+ advocacy organization.

The law was in effect for part of the 2024-2025 school year until last March, when a federal judge reissued a temporary block on the book ban provision, which prohibits books containing specific sex acts from appearing in school libraries or classrooms. In a separate decision in May, US district judge Stephen Locher said Iowa could restrict mandatory instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation in schools up through the sixth grade but could not enforce the restriction on any “program” or “promotion”, saying those terms were too broad.

Iowa asked the US eighth circuit court of appeals to overturn both decisions, which a three-judge panel did on Monday. The cases will continue in the district court while the law is in effect.

“This is a huge win for Iowa parents,” Brenna Bird, Iowa’s Republican attorney general, said in a statement. “Parents should always know that school is a safe place for their children to learn, not be concerned they are being indoctrinated with inappropriate sexual materials and philosophies.”

Iowa’s measure was enacted in 2023 amid a wave of similar legislation around the country, driven by Republican lawmakers, to prohibit discussion of LGBTQ+ identities and restrict the use of restrooms in schools. Many of those laws prompted court challenges.

A spokesperson for Penguin Random House, one of the publishing companies that sued Iowa, said they were disappointed by the decision and were evaluating their options.

“The fight continues,” the company said in a statement, “and we stand with authors, educators, librarians, and students to protect access to books and the freedom to read.”