Protected Areas

Unfair credit practices

It shall be an unfair or discriminatory practice for any:

1. Creditor to refuse to enter into a consumer credit transaction or impose finance charges or other terms or conditions more onerous than those regularly extended by that creditor to consumers of similar economic backgrounds because of age, color, creed, national origin, race, religion, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity*, physical disability, or familial status.
2. Person authorized or licensed to do business in this state pursuant to chapter 524, 533, 534, 536, or 536A to refuse to loan or extend credit or to impose terms or conditions more onerous than those regularly extended to persons of similar economic backgrounds because of age, color, creed, national origin, race, religion, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity*, physical disability, or familial status.
3. Creditor to refuse to offer credit life or health and accident insurance because of the color, creed, national origin, race, religion, marital status, age, physical disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity*, or familial status. Refusal by a creditor to offer credit life or health and accident insurance based upon the age or physical disability of the consumer shall not be an unfair or discriminatory practice if such denial is based solely upon bona fide underwriting considerations not prohibited by title XIII, subtitle 1.

Iowa Code section 216.10.

Unfair or discriminatory practices - Education

It is an unfair or discriminatory practice for any educational institution** to discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity*, national origin, religion, or disability in any program or activity. Such discriminatory practices shall include but not be limited to the following practices:

1. Exclusion of a person or persons from participating in, denial of the benefits of, or subjection to discrimination in any academic, extracurricular, research, occupational training, or other program or activity except athletic programs;
2. Denial of comparable opportunity in intramural and interscholastic athletic programs;
3. Discrimination among persons in employment and the condition of employment;
4. On the basis of sex, the application of any rule concerning the actual or potential parental, family or marital status of a person, or the exclusion of any person from any program or activity or employment because of pregnancy or related conditions dependent upon the physician's diagnosis and certification.

Iowa Code section 216.9.

**"Educational Institution" includes any preschool, elementary, secondary, or community college, area education agency, or postsecondary college or university and their governing boards.

Iowa Code section 216.9(4).

Unfair employment practices

It shall be an unfair or discriminatory practice for any:
Person** to refuse to hire, accept, register, classify, or refer for employment, to discharge any employee, or to otherwise discriminate in employment against any applicant for employment or any employee because of the age, race, creed, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity*, national origin, religion or disability of such applicant or employee, unless based upon the nature of the occupation.

Iowa Code section 216.6(1)(a).

** "Person" means one or more individuals, partnerships, associations, corporations, legal representatives, trustees, receivers, and the state of Iowa and all political subdivisions and agencies thereof.

Iowa Code section 216.2(11).

Unfair or discriminatory practices - Housing

It shall be an unfair or discriminatory practice for any person, owner, or person acting for an owner ...

1. To refuse to sell, rent, lease, assign, sublease, refuse to negotiate, or to otherwise make unavailable, or deny any real property or housing accommodation ... to any person because of the race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity*, religion, national origin, disability, or familial status of such person.
2. To discriminate against any person because of the person's race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity*, religion, national origin, disability, or familial status, in the terms, conditions or privileges of the sale, rental, lease assignment or sublease of any real property or housing accommodation ...
3. To directly or indirectly advertise, or in any other manner indicate or publicize that the purchase, rental, lease, assignment, or sublease of any real property or housing accommodation ... by persons of any particular race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity*, religion, national origin, disability, or familial status is unwelcome, objectionable, not acceptable or not solicited.
4. To discriminate against the lessee or purchaser of any real property or housing accommodation ... or against any perspective lessee or purchaser ... because of the race, color, creed, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity*, disability, age or national origin of persons who may from time to time be present in or on the lessee's or owner's premises for lawful purposes at the invitation of the lessee or owner as friends, guests, visitors, relatives or in any similar capacity.

Iowa Code section 216.8.

Unfair practices - Accommodations or Services

It shall be an unfair or discriminatory practice for any owner, lessee, sublessee, proprietor, manager or superintendent of any public accommodation or any agent or employee thereof:

1. To refuse or deny to any person because of race, creed, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, religion, or disability the accommodations, advantages, facilities, services, or privileges thereof, or otherwise to discriminate against any person because of race, creed, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity*, national origin, religion, or disability in the furnishing of such accommodations, advantages, facilities, services, or privileges.
2. To directly or indirectly advertise or in any other manner indicate or publicize that the patronage of persons of any particular race, creed, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity,* national origin, religion or disability is unwelcome, objectionable, not accepted or not solicited.

Iowa Code section 216.7(1).