(Radio Iowa) -A bill to remove gender identity from the Iowa Civil Rights Act cleared a Senate committee this (Wednesday) afternoon and the panel’s chairman expects the full Senate to begin debating the bill tomorrow (Thursday) morning. Democrats oppose the bill. Senator Janet Petersen of Des Moines was in the legislature in 2007 when lawmakers voted to establish civil rights protections for transgender Iowans.

“Do we want to be a state that advances civil rights or do we want to be known as a state that yanks them away?…This is a move in the wrong direction,” Petersen said. Republican Senator Jason Schultz of Schleswig says the bill is necessary to block lawsuits seeking to overturn recent laws that prohibit biological males from playing in girls sports or being in school restrooms designated for girls only.

“We find ourselves in the peculiar position of being the only state in the country in which we have the words ‘gender identity’ in the Civil Rights code and also protections for women, children and taxpayers,” Schultz said. “They are at odds.” Senate Democratic Leader Janice Weiner says there will be an endless stream of lawsuits based on the removal of civil rights protections for transgender Iowans. “We are opening up our state to huge amounts of taxpayer money spent to defend the indefensible,” Weiner said.

Senator Schultz responded to what he described as “rhetorical excess” from Democrats. “It is insulting to the people of Iowa, the most unrealistic cartoon and caricature of reality that you could imagine,” Schultz said.

The bill is on a fast track at the statehouse and, if the Senate AND House approve it tomorrow (Thursday), it could be signed into law by Governor Reynolds before the end of the week.