From Johnson County Supervisor Jon Green:

“This morning supervisors unanimously agreed to advance a resolution on human rights referred to us by the Trans Advisory Committee. It’s a long Resolution, in the photos below, but I hope you read the whole thing.

Blood, sweat, tears and rage of Committee members went into it.

Johnson County residents have elected a Board of Supervisors to enable and promote this important work, and yet our trans siblings did most of the labor in drafting this Resolution.

This is a tremendous document in a time of encroaching dread. I hope every Johnson County resident takes pride in that, while allies can lighten the load of those who have toiled too long, alone.

That load, it is a tremendous one. We have tasked the most vulnerable, the most persecuted, our smallest minority to argue for their own humanity, dignity, and rights. Most of us, myself included, cannot ever grasp that, but we can try and better ourselves for the effort.

We supervisors will formally vote on the Committee’s reported Resolution next Thursday, 31 July. Its adoption only reflects that the battle is begun; we have much work to do. With election season coming on, I suggest you ask of any candidate: “Do you agree trans rights, are human rights?”

And then govern yourself accordingly.”

Resolution text:

NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS OF JOHNSON COUNTY, IOWA, THAT:

1. We reaffirm our commitment to equal protection and freedom from discrimination on the basis of sex, including our commitment to ensuring LGBTQ+ individuals are free from discrimination, whether by individuals, businesses, or government actors;
2. We call upon the other elected leaders of Johnson County to use the legislative and administrative authority available to them to take such actions as may be necessary to protect LGBTQ+ individuals from discrimination on the basis of sex due to their sexual orientation or gender identity and to enshrine such protections into law;
3. We ask the County Attorney to actively seek participation, as plaintiff or amicus curiae, in ongoing or future litigation to protect the rights of LGBTQ+ individuals.
4. We ask the Executive Director of the Board of Supervisors to work with all departments of Johnson County, in consultation with the County Attorney, to ensure departments take no action to violate the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause, including how equal protection pertains to LGBTQ+ individuals. In the event a local, state, or federal law might result in the reduction of an LGBTQ+ individual’s rights, we ask the Executive Director to work with all departments of the County to confer with the County Attorney for a determination of whether compliance with such local, state, or federal law would be consistent with the Fourteenth Amendment. If such local, state, or federal law would be inconsistent with the Fourteenth Amendment, we ask the County Attorney to take any legally appropriate action to ensure Johnson County does not take any action inconsistent with the United States Constitution.
5. We ask and encourage other local governments across the state to recognize the dignity and humanity of members of the LGBTQ+ community, to value the diversity, vibrance, and contributions they bring to our communities, and to commit or recommit to protecting their rights under the Constitution of the United States.

UPDATE: the resolution passed unanimously on July 31, 2025 in a 4-0 vote. Supervisor Lisa Green-Douglass was absent from the vote due to vacation.

Trans Advisory Committee members are now in the process of asking cities within Johnson County to pass similar resolutions.

The resolution goes before the Iowa City council on Tuesday, August 19, 2025.