The Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum, which is currently in the development and fundraising phase, may face obstacles as House Republicans move to exclude transgender women from the museum’s display plans.
LGBTQ Nation reports that just last week the Democratic Women’s Caucus and House Democratic Caucus sent a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson urging him not to bring to a vote an amended version of the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum Act (H.R. 1329). The amended version of the bill, rewritten in March by Republican lawmakers, proposes that only “biological women” be included in the museum’s plans for exhibitions and displays.
The bill follows an executive order entitled “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History” issued by Donald Trump and directing Vice President J.D. Vice to oversee efforts to “remove improper ideology” from federally funded Smithsonian museums. LGBTQ Nation reports, the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum was specifically cited in the order because of its plan to include trans women’s accomplishments in sport. Trump directed Vance and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) director Russell Vought to collaborate with Congress to ensure the new museum would not feature or recognize “men as women in any respect.”
The Democratic Women’s Caucus’ letter claimed the bill targeted transgender women and girls, and “invites arbitrary enforcement and could be used to challenge the inclusion of any women or girl a politician deems not ‘feminine’ enough.”
“This is just another example of Republicans needlessly adding an anti-transgender provision to an unrelated bill that would impact not just transgender women and girls but all women and girls,” reads the letter. “The design and location of a museum about women, fought for and supported by women, should not be controlled by one man and his loyalists—particularly not a man who has been found liable for sexual assault, and [who] regularly denigrates women based on physical appearance, among other repulsive behaviors,” the letter continues. “American women deserve better. The American people deserve better.”
The Democrats called on Republicans to restore the original, bipartisan version of the Smithsonian Museum bill, which clarified that the new museum would be located within the Reserve of the National Mall. Last year, the bill garnered bipartisan support with 127 Democrat and 103 Republican cosponsors.
