DES MOINES, IOWA — Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird (R) talked with WHO 13 News on Tuesday to discuss concerns raised by parents and opposing legal opinions. Those issues were pointed to the state joining 16 other states in a federal lawsuit seeking to reverse a policy decision by the Biden administration.

The lawsuit is regarding Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Bird’s office sent out a statement last week after concern from Iowans about the state impacting those with disabilities. Those individuals and organizations pointing to language in the original lawsuit that would leave people to believe the lawsuit seeks to strike down Section 504 as a whole.

Bird shared her reasoning to clarify these remarks during an interview, saying that this lawsuit is only aimed at removing gender dysphoria to the definition of “disability”, as stated in Section 504.

“I think it’s important that parents understand what the lawsuit is all about and if there is a parent with a child with a 504 accommodation to understand that our lawsuit has nothing to do with that. It doesn’t with the longstanding and important 504 disability accommodations. Instead it has everything to do with stopping the radical transgender mandate. That’s what it has been about since the beginning since last fall. And that’s what it is still about. And President Trump paused this lawsuit when he came into office as he was working through all the different ways the Biden administration has imposed a transgender mandate on the states. So he is working his way through, we are working together with him to solve that. But it doesn’t have anything to do with traditional 504 plans,” said Bird.

The lawsuit is paused by the Trump administration, as stated by Bird, with the future of it up in the air as the administration looks at the rule change by the previous White House.

The full interview will air on Today in Iowa Sunday on March 2 and will be available online in its entirety.