Two Democratic members of Congress are advancing legislation that would establish a federal “Bill of Rights” for transgender-identifying individuals. Senator Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Representative Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) have described the bill as necessary to counter what they call the “cruelty” of policies from the Trump administration and Republicans.
The proposed resolution would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to explicitly protect transgender and nonbinary Americans from discrimination based on gender identity or expression. It would also add federal protections for trans-identifying students in education laws, ensure access to healthcare related to gender identity, and ban conversion therapy.
The bill has drawn widespread criticism online, with opponents accusing it of being a dangerous overreach that undermines American values. Critics have labeled the legislation a “slippery slope” targeting vulnerable populations.
Representative Sara Jacobs (D-California) has publicly endorsed the measure, stating: “We need protections for the transgender and nonbinary communities at the federal level… I’m so proud to co-lead the Transgender Bill of Rights.”
