Disability advocates rally in Des Moines in support of Section 504
On Tuesday, several people gathered outside the Iowa Attorney General's office with a push to protect disability rights.
Right now, a lawsuit concerning Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act has been suspended. The section helps ensure students with disabilities have equal access to educational opportunities.
Iowa and several other states took issue with a Biden-era change to the rule that added gender dysphoria to the definition of "disability" in Section 504.
The White House is currently reviewing the rule.
Still, many are calling on Attorney General Brenna Bird to drop out of the lawsuit altogether.
"First off, we wanted to build community around this issue. We want people to be ready to mobilize if our rights continue to be recognized. Our second goal was to raise public awareness about the real consequences of Texas v. Becerra," said Zach Mecham, organizer for Defend Section 504.
Last week, the states involved in the lawsuit clarified that they were only seeking to change the "gender dysphoria" language in the rule. They say they are not challenging Section 504 in its entirety.
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