Associated Press

An Iowa church is dropping its lawsuit against the state and the city of Des Moines over an anti-discrimination law that church officials believed could force them to follow laws addressing use of public bathrooms by transgender persons.

The Fort Des Moines Church of Christ filed a voluntarily dismissal Wednesday.

The church sought an injunction to keep the city and state from applying the anti-discrimination law to churches, saying it violated free exercise of religious rights.

The law prohibits discrimination in use of public facilities based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Church seeks injunction on anti-discrimination rules

U.S. District Judge Stephanie Rose denied the injunction Oct. 14 saying it's uncertain whether the law would be applied to the church.

The Iowa Civil Rights Commission says it's never enforced the law against churches and made it clear churches are generally exempt.

Kristin H. Johnson, executive director of the Iowa Civil Rights Commission, told The Register Wednesday, "We are pleased to be able to move on."

"We are pleased the lawsuit is dismissed," Johnson said. "The judge's opinion speaks for itself. We have the same comments that we had in July, there had been no change to the law, no change in the application of the law and we were never trying to impose any kind of requirements against the preachers and the pulpit."

Christiana Holcomb, legal counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom, said in a statement that the courts opinion makes clear that government bureaucrats have no business deciding whether Iowa church activities are religious or not.

"Judge Rose held that churches are not — and have never been — public accommodations subject to this type of intrusive government overreach and also reaffirmed a robust religious exemption from the act," Holcomb said. "The ruling provides much-needed reassurance and clarity to Iowa churches."