Iowa's Republican-controlled legislature passed a bill on Thursday that would remove protections for the transgender community even as dozens of protesters opposed the legislation.

To be the first state to go backwards, I mean, how embarrassing could that possibly be?” said Rep. Beth Wessel-Kroeschell, a Democrat.

Iowa became the first 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.