Equality Caucus Blasts GOP’s Latest Anti-Trans Education Bills

WASHINGTON, DC — Today, Rep. Mark Takano (CA-39), Chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus and a Senior Member of the Committee on Education and Workforce, released the following statement after the Republican-controlled Committee on Education and Workforce advanced two anti-trans bills out of committee:

“While Donald Trump is illegally trying to dismantle the Department of Education and pass tax cuts for billionaires, extreme Republicans in Congress are trying to distract Americans by advancing cruel, anti-trans legislation,” said Rep. Mark Takano, Chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus. “School districts, teachers, and staff best understand how to draft age-appropriate, inclusive curriculums and craft policies that both respect the important role parents play in children’s education and the importance of students’ safety.  

“Yet, Republicans’ Don’t Say Trans Act would cut critical funding for schools if their teachers teach lessons or include materials that simply acknowledge the reality of trans peoples’ existence. Republicans’ forced outing bill would put kids in danger by requiring schools that want to take certain steps to affirm a transgender student’s identity to forcibly out them to their parents—even if the school knows this will put the student’s safety at risk.  

“Every child deserves to learn in a safe, affirming environment and to see themselves reflected in the school's curriculum. The cruelty of these bills is beyond despicable.”


BACKGROUND
On April 9, the House Committee on Education and Workforce voted to advance two anti-trans bills out of committee: H.R. 2616, the so-called “PROTECT Kids Act” and H.R. 2617, the “Say No to Indoctrination Act,” better known as the “Don’t Say Trans Act.”

H.R. 2616 would require elementary and middle schools that receive federal funds to forcibly out transgender students if the school wants to take certain steps to affirm the child’s identity, such as changing the child’s gender markers, pronouns, or preferred name on any school form or allowing the child to use accommodations, such as bathrooms, consistent with their gender identity. H.R. 2616  passed the House last Congress as part of Republicans’ so-called “Parents Bill of Rights Act”—which passed the House in 2023 with only Republican support and with bipartisan opposition; every voting Democrat and five Republicans voted against it.

H.R. 2617 would prohibit schools receiving Elementary and Secondary Education Act funds from using those funds to teach or advance concepts that recognize the existence of transgender people. Specifically, the bill amends Section 8526 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to state that funds under that chapter may not be used “to teach or advance concepts related to gender ideology, as defined in section 2 of Executive Order 14168.” This Executive Order defines gender ideology to include the “concept of self-assessed gender identity,” the “claim that males can identify as and thus become women and vice versa,” and “the idea that there is a vast spectrum of genders that are disconnected from one's sex.”