DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A new Iowa law bans local nondiscrimination protections on the basis of gender identity after the state became the first in the U.S. to rollback its civil rights code last year.
The preemption law took effect Tuesday, as soon as Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds signed it. It prevents cities and counties from having civil rights protections that go beyond the categories identified in state code.
Many cities across the state have gender identity protections on their books, including liberal populous centers, Des Moines and Iowa City, home to the University of Iowa. Last month, Ames, which is home to Iowa State University, enacted an ordinance enacting gender identity protections.
Republicans who control the House and Senate said the preemption law provides clarity on which classes are protected. Democrats objected.
“There could literally be hundreds of situations where we have conflicts with local ordinances,” said Republican state Rep. Steve Holt. “And considering the climate that we’re in today, a patchwork of different civil rights ordinances would be extremely difficult for businesses and schools to navigate.”
At least two other states, Arkansas and Tennessee, have laws that prohibit local nondiscrimination ordinances that are broader than state law, according to researchers at Movement Advancement Project, an LGBTQ+ rights think tank.
Sexual orientation and gender identity were not originally included in Iowa's Civil Rights Act of 1965. They were added by the then-Democratic-controlled Legislature in 2007 with the support of about a dozen Republicans.
Last year, Reynolds and other Iowa Republicans said that the nondiscrimination protections could not coexist with recent laws to restrict transgender students’ use of such spaces as bathrooms and locker rooms, and their participation on sports teams.
Reynolds said Wednesday that those laws were still jeopardized by a “hodgepodge” of civil rights protections from one community to another.
“We just believe that locals should follow the state law especially when it comes to civil rights, otherwise we have a mismatch of rights out there,” she said. “We thought that it was important that they be consistent.”
Iowa’s civil rights law protects against discrimination based on race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, religion, national origin or disability status.
In Iowa City, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) east of Des Moines, gender identity protections against discrimination have been in local code for about 30 years, said Laura Bergus, a City Council member and lawyer.
After last year's state law was enacted, the city passed a resolution “to reinforce the fact that we had that authority and to make sure that our residents knew that discrimination on the basis of gender identity specifically was still prohibited in Iowa City,” Bergus said Wednesday.
Bergus said the new law is “extreme overreach,” preventing local governments from responding to the needs of their community, and Iowa City is considering legal action.
“Our local leadership remains committed to protecting all of us,” Bergus said.
Iowans have until April 27 to file a civil rights complaint with the state on the basis of gender identity for incidents that occurred before the civil rights code rollback took effect on July 1, 2025. Only one complaint has been accepted for investigation since then, according to data provided by the Iowa Office of Civil Rights as of Feb. 13.
By contrast, 46 complaints on the basis of gender identity were accepted for investigation during the previous 12 months.
The rollback also removed Iowans' ability to request a change to the sex designation on their birth certificate.
In 2025, from January through June 208 birth certificates had sex designation changes, according to state health department data provided to The Associated Press. That was significantly higher than in 2024, when there were 135 requests over the course of the entire year.
The state no longer tracks how many birth certificate changes it receives but continues to get them, according to the state health department. All are rejected.
FILE - Protesters fill the Iowa state Capitol to denounce a bill that would strip the state civil rights code of protections based on gender identity, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)
FILE - Protesters fill the Iowa state Capitol to denounce a bill that would strip the state civil rights code of protections based on gender identity, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)
SAO PAULO (AP) — Oscar Schmidt, the Basketball Hall of Famer known to his Brazilian compatriots as the “Holy Hand,” died Friday. He was 68.
Schmidt’s family said in a statement that he fought a brain tumor for 15 years “with courage, dignity and resilience . . . while remaining a role model of determination, generosity and love of life. Oscar leaves a legacy that transcends sport and inspires generations of athletes and admirers in Brazil and worldwide.”
Earlier, Hospital e Maternidade Municipal Santa Ana in the city of Santana de Parnaiba, outside metropolis Sao Paulo, said Schmidt’s family requested privacy without elaborating.
Schmidt is beloved in Brazil for committing to the national team for 19 years and becoming one of the most prolific scorers in basketball history. He also starred in an historic victory over the United States in the final of the 1987 Pan American Games.
“The biggest player of Brazilian basketball history bids farewell as an absolute symbol of sport, the holder of a trajectory that redefined the boundaries of what was possible in a court,” the Brazil Basketball Confederation said in a statement. “His death closes an era. But his greatness remains.”
Schmidt, who didn't playing in the NBA, began his professional career in 1974 and most of it was at home and Italy, where he became a childhood idol of future great Kobe Bryant.
In 1984 the NBA’s New Jersey Nets drafted him in the sixth round and he trained with them but declined a contract. At the time NBA players were not allowed to play for national teams. Schmidt said he had no regrets at his Hall of Fame induction.
“I was the choice (No,) 144,” he said. His idol Larry Bird laughed next to him. “They came to offer me a no-cut contract to play for the New Jersey Nets. I said thank you very much but if I play one game here I will never again play for my national team.
“Three years later we beat the Americans here in the U.S. Sorry, that was the greatest thing I did in basketball.”
Bird released a statement Friday, saying: “I always admired Oscar and considered him a friend. He was, without a doubt, one of the greatest players to ever play the game. It was an honor of a lifetime when Oscar asked me to present him at his well deserved induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. My sincere condolences to Oscar’s family.”
Portland Trail Blazers coach Tiago Splitter and NBA champion Anderson Varejao, two Brazilians in the league, mourned Schmidt in their social media channels.
Standing 2.03 meters (6-foot-8), he was a keen 3-point shooter in the 1980s when many coaches advised against it. That earned him the nickname “Mão Santa” (Holy Hand). Schmidt didn’t believe he was worthy of the tag.
“I don’t have a holy hand. I have a trained hand,” Schmidt used to say in interviews.
He debuted for Brazil at 19 in 1977 and made 326 appearances, averaging 23.6 points per game.
He played in a record-tying five Olympics and four World Cups. He’s the all-time leading scorer in both tournaments. He still has seven of the 10 highest scoring games in Olympic history and he holds the single-game records for points scored in the Olympics (55 vs. Spain in 1988) and World Cup (52 vs. Australia in 1990).
“More than results and medals, Oscar represented values that define the Olympic spirit; dedication, resilience and respect to the opponents,” Brazil’s Olympic committee said in a statement.
The 1987 Pan Am Games victory in Indianapolis marked the first time a U.S. team lost a major international tournament on home soil. Brazil won 120-115 and Schmidt led with 46 points.
Schmidt retired in 2003 at 45. He passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to be the unofficial career highest scorer and his known tally of 49,737 points for club and country was eclipsed by LeBron James in 2024.
“For decades, he united the country around the courts with unforgettable shots and indisputable leadership,” Brazil President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said on social media. “His dedication elevated the name of the country and made him an inspiration for generations of athletes and sports lovers.”
Schmidt was inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2010, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013, and the Italian Basketball Hall of Fame in 2017.
After retirement, Schmidt became one of his country’s most popular motivational speakers. He often talked about his battle with the brain tumor diagnosed in 2011, his love for Brazil and basketball.
Schmidt is survived by wife Maria Cristina Victorino, whom he married in 1981, and two children. One of them, Filipe, spoke about his father’s death on social media.
“Now you rest in peace, dad. You are in the hall of fame of life,” he said.
AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports
FILE - Brazil's Oscar Schmidt (14) drives past Scottie Pipen (8) of the United States during the quarterfinals of basketball competition at the Centennial Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta, July 30, 1996. Schmidt, whom his Brazil compatriots know as the “Holy Hand,” died. Friday, April 17, 2026. He was 68. (AP Photo/Hans Deryk, File)
FILE - Brazil's former basketball player Oscar Schmidt shows a miniature basketball containing the name of a country during the draw for the London 2012 Olympic men's basketball tournament in Rio de Janeiro, April 30, 2012. Schmidt, whom his Brazil compatriots know as the “Holy Hand,” died. Friday, April 17, 2026. He was 68. (AP Photo/Victor R. Caivano, File)
FILE - Inductee Oscar Schmidt, of Brazil, speaks during the enshrinement ceremony for this year's class of the Basketball Hall of Fame, at Symphony Hall in Springfield, Mass., Sept. 8, 2013. Schmidt, whom his Brazil compatriots know as the “Holy Hand,” died. Friday, April 17, 2026. He was 68. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)
FILE - Inductee Oscar Schmidt, of Brazil, speaks during the enshrinement ceremony for the 2013 class of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame at Symphony Hall in Springfield, Mass., Sept. 8, 2013. Schmidt, whom his Brazil compatriots know as the “Holy Hand,” died. Friday, April 17, 2026. He was 68. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)
