In 1976, Iowa’s legislature repealed parts of its criminal code, including the section criminalizing consensual sodomy between two people of the same sex.

The updated criminal code took effect on January 1st, 1978.

In 2009, Iowa became the third state to legalize same-sex marriage.

Prohibits talks of LGBT topics in school up to grade 6.

In order to change your legal gender in Iowa, you need to have a physician sign off that you have undergone appropriate clinical treatment in your gender transition. Although surgery to change your gender is an option, it is not required. Also, it is not explicitly stated that you need to be diagnosed with gender dysphoria in order to change your gender.

Gender affirming care is banned for minors under SF538, as of 2023. Adults are still able to get gender affirming care in Iowa, minors are defined as under 18 in this bill. Iowa doctors are subjected to prosecution if found doing gender affirming care to minors even with parental consent.

Iowa does not allow people to legally identify as a third gender.

In 2007, the Iowa legislature added sexual orientation and gender identity to the state’s discrimination law.

In 2007, the Iowa legislature amended the state’s employment discrimination law to include protections for sexual orientation and gender identity.

In 2025, Iowa’s governor signed a bill that removed gender identity from the list of protected classes in employment discrimination. However, once this legislation goes into effect, it will not affect employment discrimination because gender identity and sexual orientation have been protected federally since 2020 under Bostock v Clayton County.

In 2007, the Iowa legislature amended the state’s discrimination law on housing to include protections for sexual orientation and gender identity.

State statute permits any unmarried individual to adopt, but any married individual is required to petition jointly per Iowa Code 600. Second-parent adoption has been approved in lower courts.

In Iowa's ban on gender-affirming care, specific exemptions allow intersex infant surgery.

On the evening of March 18th, U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes blocked the implementation of Trump's executive order banning transgender people from the military. The judge said that not only was the order unconstitutional but “a solution in search of a problem.”.

The new FDA policy on blood donation eliminates deferrals and screening questions specific to men who have sex with men (MSM). Prospective donors will be asked the same set of questions regardless of their sex or sexual orientation.

Since 2015, several attempts have been made to ban the practice of conversion therapy statewide in Iowa. All efforts had failed with even the Iowa Board of Medicine and Iowa Board of Psychology declining to establish a ban, with the Iowa Board of Psychology stating it was out of their realm to challenge. The Iowa Board of Psychology did state it would process complaints if licensed psychologists warranted an investigation of some kind with concerns of conversion therapy being recommended. It is unknown if these complaints are processed adequately.

Davenport became the first city in Iowa to ban conversion therapy by minors with a vote 82 by the Davenport City Council.

The Linn County Board of Supervisors also passed a ban affecting the scope of it's unincorporated areas.

Some cities such as Des Moines Iowa repealed their bans after challenges by Christian organizations.

State law supersedes local laws and the ban is at risk of being rendered defunct if state legislatures were to nullify the legitimacy of the scope of these laws.

In 2024, a bill prohibiting local jurisdictions from passing their own conversion therapy bans was pending in the Senate.