Democrats Introduce a “Trans Bill of Rights”
On Tuesday, Democratic House members released their plan for a “Transgender Bill of Rights” in an attempt to provide federal protections for transgender and gay Americans.The bill will attempt to codify the Supreme Court’s 2020 Bostock v. Clayton County decision, which established employee protections for gay and transgender workers. If passed, the bill would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to include gay and trans people.The amended Act would ban conversion therapy, protection for gender identity and sex characteristics, and expand access to gender-affirming care. In addition, the bill would require the attorney general to designate a liaison to oversee the enforcement of civil rights for transgender people while also investing in services to prevent anti-transgender violence.Washington Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and Co-Chair of the Transgender Equality Task Force, was a major player in getting the bill created. “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,” Jayapal said in a joint statement with David Cicilline (RI), Marie Newman (IL), Mark Takano (CA), and Ritchie Torres (NY).