ACLU of Iowa Lawsuit Seeks to Overturn Law Restricting Sexually Graphic Books and Discussion of Sexual Orientation in Schools
(Radio Iowa) The American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa has filed a federal lawsuit that seeks to overturn parts of a new state law that forbids instruction about sexual orientation in elementary classrooms. It also requires schools to remove books with graphic sexual content. The lawsuit is filed on behalf of Iowa Safe Schools, a group that advocates for LGBTQ youth, and seven families with students in Iowa schools.
Berry Stevens, a student in West Des Moines, spoke during an online news conference about the lawsuit. “I am participating in this lawsuit because this law hurts all kinds of kids and it hurts many of my personal friends,” Stevens said during an online news conference. “We deserve to be able to express ourselves safely at school and we deserve to see ourselves in media, especially in books.”
Percy Batista-Pedro of Waterloo, the leader of his high school’s gay-straight alliance, says the law is blatant discrimination “I’m scared of being harassed if I wear pride apparel or if I talk about my identity in class,” the 16 year old said. “This fear, which is shared by many of my transgender friends, is why I have chosen to be a plaintiff in this case.”
Belinda Scarott, Percy’s mom, calls the law unnecessarily cruel. “This law only serves to make life more perilous for him and more terrifying for me,” Scarott said. “…I spend my days worrying about what potential damage the school day might do to my child’s physical or mental well-being.”
Thomas Story, staff attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa, says the state law violates free speech and equal protection provisions in the U-S Constitution. “This law is deeply confusing and schools have been at a loss on how to comply, even after consulting with their attorneys,” Story said. “This law has thrown the school year into chaos.”
Lambda Legal, which represented same-sex couples who successfully sued for the right to marry in Iowa, is also representing the students and parents who’ve filed this lawsuit. Governor Reynolds says protecting children from pornography and sexually explicit content should not be controversial — and books with graphic depictions of sex acts have absolutely no place in Iowa schools.
