DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa became the first U.S. 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.

The bill now heads to the governor’s desk for approval, despite the presence of more than 2,500 people protesting at the Iowa state capitol.

His wife, Betsy Arakawa, was also found dead in their New Mexico home.