Equality Caucus Slams Advancement of GOP “Don’t Say Trans” Bill
WASHINGTON, DC — Today, Republicans on the House Committee on Education and Workforce advanced H.R. 7661, a federal “Don’t Say Trans” bill, out of committee. Following the vote, Congressional Equality Caucus Chair Rep. Mark Takano (CA-39) released the following statement:
“Students of every gender identity should be able to go to school and learn in a safe, affirming environment. But when transgender students’ identities are erased and mentions of their community are censured by Congressional mandate, their education—and wellbeing—are needlessly put at risk,” said Rep. Mark Takano, Chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus and a senior member of the Committee on Education and Workforce. “For decades, Republicans have decried federal intervention in school curricula, just to turn around and use their majority to push their partisan agenda into classrooms across the country. Instead of solving any actual problems facing our nation’s schools, this bill—championed by a politician who positively quoted Hitler—stigmatizes a tiny minority community, encouraging a school culture of hostility towards transgender students. As Chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus, I am going to continue working to prevent this bill from becoming law.”
BACKROUND
H.R. 7661, the so-called “Stop the Sexualization of Children Act,” which should more aptly be called the “Don’t Say Trans Act,” prohibits schools receiving Elementary and Secondary Education Act funds from using those funds to develop, implement, facilitate, host or promote any program or activity that includes—or to provide or promote literature or other materials that include—“sexually oriented material” to children under the age of 18. “Sexually oriented material” is defined to include, among other things, any materials that involve “gender dysphoria or transgenderism.”
This bill would have far reaching consequences, including by barring any discussion of transgender people or topics in the classroom, banning books with transgender characters or that discuss the existence of transgender people, and banning Gay/Queer Straights Alliances. The broad prohibition on programs or activities that include “sexually oriented materials” could also be used to target other LGBTQI+ materials as well.