National LGBTQ+ Task Force Responds to House Vote on HR734

Washington, DC - April 21, 2023 -In an unprecedented move yesterday, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to pass HR734, which would bar transgender girls and young women from participating in student-athletic programs of their choice. This is the first specifically anti-Trans bill to pass at the Federal level.

Said Executive Director of the National LGBTQ Task Force:

"There are so many ways to protect children and create opportunities for women and girls if our elected officials are truly trying to do so. HR734 is not it. This legislation is founded on transphobia and misinformation, pure and simple. This bill is an unnecessary and costly solution for a non-existent problem, meant only to stoke fear and use trans youth as political pawns at a time when the so-called "culture wars" are being used to distract voters and are causing harm to the LGBTQ+ and other marginalized communities. Too many of us have been living with a false sense of security after years of progress for LGBTQ+ people but the pendulum has swung back, with extremists weaponizing religion and government to eradicate LGBTQ+ people from every state across the country. I hope this is a wake-up call for anyone who thought they could ignore what is happening in Florida and Texas. I hope we recognize that we are all Kentucky and Tennessee and that our fates are tied together. They are coming for children, teachers, doctors, and parents in nearly every state - no state is immune. Hate does not recognize state lines. But neither does love. Together we can turn the tide. We have a collective duty regardless of our zip code to dispel misinformation, advocate for civil and human rights of all people and to make our voices heard. This country is ours. It is time to flex and claim it."

In 2023 alone, there have been 400+ bills introduced that target trans youth and the wider LGBTQ+ community. If HR734's companion bill is passed in the U.S. Senate it will bar participation in school sports by transgender, non-binary, and intersex youth; erode local authority over school policies about extracurriculars; and continue to undermine medical and social science understandings of sex, gender, gender presentation and expression.

The National LGBTQ+ Task Force is committed to building partnerships with other advocacy organizations on the ground as well as in congress to ensure that bills like this do not become law."

For more information go to www.thetaskforce.org