Iowa's governor signed legislation removing gender identity protections on Friday from the state's civil rights code, despite large, intense protests.

Republican lawmakers in the Iowa Legislature approved a bill that would remove gender identity from the Iowa Civil Rights Act; Gov. Kim Reynolds must now decide whether to sign it into law

Iowa became the first U.S. state to remove gender identity protections from its civil rights code on Friday when Gov. Kim Reynolds signed into law a bill that opponents say will expose transgender people and other Iowans to discrimination in all aspects of daily life.