A controversial Republican-backed bill that critics are calling the Don’t Say Trans bill has passed the U.S. House of Representatives, with support from eight Democrats. HR 2616, also known as the Stopping Indoctrination and Protecting Kids Act, cleared the House last week. If approved by the Senate and signed into law by President Donald Trump, the measure would ban federally funded schools from teaching “concepts related to gender ideology.”
LGBTQ advocacy groups warn that the bill would effectively erase acknowledgment of transgender identities in public schools across the United States. The legislation would also require teachers and school staff to notify parents if a student identifies as transgender at school.
All 209 Republicans voted in favor of the bill, while 198 of 206 Democrats opposed it. The eight Democrats who joined Republicans included Representatives Henry Cuellar of Texas, Don Davis of North Carolina, Cleo Fields of Louisiana, Laura Gillen of New York, Vicente González of Texas, Marcy Kaptur of Ohio, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington, and Eugene Vindman of Virginia. Vindman’s vote drew particular attention because he had previously spoken publicly in support of queer inclusion. In a statement posted online, Mike Zamore of the American Civil Liberties Union criticized the legislation. He also urged the Senate to reject it.
