U.S. House Bill forcibly outs transgender students

ACLU condemns passage of bill

WASHINGTON – The American Civil Liberties Union condemned a bill that passed yesterday in the U.S. House of Representatives, threatening to censor educators nationwide and compelling them to out transgender students against their will.

Relying on the definitions advanced by a Trump administration executive order that has already censored government workers, doctors, scientists, artists, and historical records, H.R. 2616 would prohibit any school that receives federal funding from teaching “concepts related to gender ideology.” It could also forcibly “out” students who are transgender to their families before they feel ready or even safe doing so.

“Every child in this country deserves the same opportunity to thrive as their peers, and that includes transgender students,” said Mike Zamore, National Director for Policy & Government Affairs for the ACLU.

“Instead of strengthening that basic promise for all students, a narrow majority of the House opted to single out and endanger some of the most vulnerable youth in our schools today,” Zamore continued. “This bill doesn’t create a safe learning environment for anyone – quite the opposite -- but it does inject politics into every classroom across the country, which harms education for all students. Censorship and discrimination have no place in our schools, and we call on the Senate to reject this bill.” 

The ACLU urges you to call your U.S. Senator and urge them to vote against HR 2616, passed by the House. Call the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 to be connected to any U.S. Senator in Washington, D.C. When the operator answers, state the name of the Senator you want to speak with, and they will route you directly to their office.

If you prefer to find the direct phone number for a specific Senator’s Washington office, you can look it up on the U.S. Senate Directory. 

The Gayly online. 5/21/26 @ 11:56 a.m. CST.