Take Action: Trans Bill of Rights

Recently, the so-called “Transgender Bill of Rights” (HR-1209; full title: “Recognizing that it is the duty of the Federal Government to develop and implement a Transgender Bill of Rights 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.”) was introduced into the United States House of Representatives.

This bill is deeply troubling, even downright dangerous. It would codify the “right” of people to identify with a “gender” and use facilities and resources accordingly, essentially replacing women’s sex-based rights with the subjective self-declaration of “gender identity,” an idea that has yet to be clearly defined. This will come with terrible implications for women and girls in particular. This should also be deeply disconcerting to all lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals, as the reality of sexual orientation, and thus same-sex rights, hinges on acknowledging the reality of biological sex. 

HR-1209 would also require medical professionals to “affirm” the “gender” of their patients, making it much harder to offer adequate treatments for gender-dysphoric patients. As a greatly disproportional number of those experiencing gender dysphoria are same-sex attracted, this bill could potentially push many of these same-sex attracted individuals down a path of lifelong medicalization. Further, the “transitioning” of lesbian and gay men into a “straight” opposite-sex identity is proving to be the newest form of conversion therapy, despite the attempts of gender ideologists to reframe conversion therapy as helping trans-identified individuals develop a healthy body image and acceptance of their sex.

We invite our supporters to contact your congressperson to express your opposition to the bill. You are welcome to use the template letter we have written below and send it off via email, snail mail, or fax. However, we encourage you to customize the letter—individual letters have much more impact when they are unique. Some other points you might want to emphasize in your letter include:

• In all other fields of medicine, treatments are recommended by the doctor and/or therapist, not the patient—no one is owed any specific treatment based on how they subjectively view themselves. Why should trans healthcare be any different? The “first, do no harm” principle should apply to trans healthcare as much as it does any other form of healthcare.
  
• “Gender” (as opposed to “sex”) is a very poorly defined concept and should not be the basis for legislation.
  
• Granting people the right of accommodation according to “gender identity” will make it hard for gays and lesbians to associate exclusively with members of the same sex.
  
• Males have enormous biological advantages over females in athletics; it’s unfair to make women and girls play against males.
  
• Males are far more likely to commit sexual assault than females, and most assaults by males are committed against females. Forcing women to share accommodations with males who identify as trans will put the former and increased risk of sexual violence.

We also are inviting people to call their representative to oppose the bill. You can use this sample script below or your own words.

Please see the full text of the bill here.

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Sample Phone Script:

My name is [Name]. I am a constituent of [Senator or Representative Name] and I reside in [Zip Code]. I oppose HR-1209, the so-called “Trans Bill of Rights,” for several reasons. First, it will eliminate the sex-based rights of women and girls, which are a necessity for females as the subordinated sex class in a male-dominated society. Further, the concept of “gender identity” has never been clearly defined and is based entirely on subjective self-perception. The discrimination faced by trans-identifying individuals is faced by all gender-nonconforming people, and we should instead use existing sex-based protections to ensure neither men nor women face discrimination for not conforming to gender roles. Additionally, what is being called “gender-affirming” healthcare pressures healthcare providers to sign off on dangerous and experimental procedures in order to validate patients’ feelings, which violates the “do no harm” principle. In no other field of medicine does the patient dictate their own course of treatment, and cases of body image disorders like gender dysphoria should be no different. The “affirmation” model also classifies any attempts to encourage bodily acceptance as “conversion therapy,” yet the very concept of “transition” is being used as actual conversion therapy to convert lesbians and gay men into a heterosexual, opposite-sex identity.

Please ask [Name of Representative or Senator] to vote against HR-1209. Thank you.

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Sample Email, Letter, or Fax:

[Date]

The Honorable [Representative’s Name]
[Representative’s Address]

Dear [Representative’s Name],

I am writing to you in opposition of House Resolution 1209, the so-called “Transgender Bill of Rights,” introduced on June 28, 2022, for a couple of important reasons.

First, HR-1209 speaks of the right of trans-identifying individuals to be accommodated according to their “gender identity.” But this infringes on the right of women and girls to female-only spaces to protect their safety and ensure a fair playing field in athletics. Granting the “right” to gender self identity also imperils the rights of gays and lesbians to choose to organize gatherings with only members of one sex.

While it’s true that trans-identified people face discrimination, this is because they do not conform to gender stereotypes. A better approach would be to use existing sex-based protections to ensure that neither men nor women face discrimination for refusing to conform to gender stereotypes. 

Second, it is common for patients to present as “trans” as a way of coping with other issues, including (but not limited to) depression, trauma, autism, and internalized homophobia. Mandating a gender affirmation-only approach, as HR-1209 does, will make it extremely difficult for mental health professionals to uncover and address these underlying conditions. To make matters worse, much of so-called “gender affirming” healthcare (including cross-sex hormones and gender reassignment surgeries) is risky, irreversible, and experimental. The government should not be pressuring healthcare providers into signing off onto such procedures simply to validate their patients’ feelings.

Thank you for your consideration, and I urge you to vote against HR-1209. Women, girls, same-sex attracted people, gender- nonconforming individuals, and those struggling with gender dysphoria all deserve better. 

Sincerely,

[Your Name]