House Democrats Introduce ‘Transgender Bill Of Rights’

House Democrats introduced a “Transgender Bill of Rights” on Tuesday to “protect and codify the rights of transgender and nonbinary people under the law and ensure their access to medical care, shelter, safety, and economic security.”

Led by Democratic Washington Rep. Pramila Jayapal, HR 1209 proposes “amending the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex, including gender identity and sex characteristics in public accommodations and federally funded programs and activities.”

The Trans Bill of Rights also proposes amending federal education laws to ensure that students can participate on sports teams “that best align with their gender identity” and use “school facilities that best align with their gender identity” — meaning that biological males could use women’s restrooms and play on women’s sports teams.

“As we witness Republicans and an extremist Supreme Court attack and roll back the fundamental rights of trans people across our country, and as state legislatures across the country target our trans community with hateful, bigoted, and transphobic attacks, we are standing up and saying enough is enough,” said Jayapal, the chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and co-chair of the Transgender Equality Task Force.