If signed by Gov. Kim Reynolds, the Republican-backed measure would eliminate state civil rights protections for transgender Iowans.

Iowa’s Republican-controlled state legislature passed a bill on Thursday that would remove gender identity as a protected class in the state’s civil rights code. Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds is expected as soon as Thursday evening to sign the bill into law,

The U.S. Justice Department says it "stands ready to sue" Minnesota and two other states that are defying President Trump's executive order earlier this month that bans transgender girls and women from competing in sports consistent with their gender identity.

The U.S. State Department has instructed officials to deny visas to transgender athletes attempting to enter the country for competition, according to reports.

In a Tuesday letter to Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and Minnesota State High School League Executive Director Erich Martens, Bondi said the state should be “on notice” that the U.S.