New federal legislation dubbed the “Don’t Say Trans” bill was passed by the House of Representatives recently. If approved by the Senate, the bill—House Resolution 2616 or “Stopping Indoctrination and Protecting Kids Act” — would force school teachers to out their transgender students across the country. In addition it would require schools to obtain parental consent before allowing students to use preferred pronouns, gender markers on school forms, as well as using any sex-based accommodations like bathrooms and locker rooms.The new bill would implement these changes by officially amending Section 8526 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, which permits elementary and secondary education programs to receive federal aid.
Though it would seem obvious that Democratic leaders would not support this bill, eight House Democrats actually voted in its favor. The bill was originally sponsored by the U.S. Rep Tim Walberg of Michigan and it passed in the house by a 217-198 margin, garnering support from the following Democrats: Reps. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), Donald Davis (D-N.C.), Cleo Fields (D-La.), Laura Gillen (D-N.Y.), Vicente Gonzalez (D-Texas), Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio), Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-Wash.), and Eugene Vindman (D-Va.)
LGBTQ Nation notes the bill is directly correlated to Trump’s 2025 Executive Order entitled “Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government.” This order required the federal government to only recognize gender based on sex assigned at birth rather than a person’s gender identity.
Despite seeing some Democratic support, a majority of Democrats still oppose the bill. One such Democrat, California Congressman Mark Takano spoke against the bill on the House floor. “Republicans claim to be the party of small government, but they have no problem bringing the full force of the federal government down against children,” Takano said. “The GOP thinks they can legislate transgender people out of existence with this inhumane Don’t Say Trans bill, but all they’re doing is making life worse for a small minority of already-vulnerable children.”
A similar sentiment was echoed by David Stacy, vice president of government affairs at the Human Rights Campaign. “Trans kids are not a political agenda – they are students who deserve safety and affirmation at school like anyone else,” he said in a statement. “Despite the many pressing issues facing our nation, House Republicans continue their bizarre obsession with trans people. HR 2616 does not protect children. It targets them. This bill is cruel, and we’ll continue to fight to ensure it never becomes law.”
