Parental Rights Over the Education and Care of Their Kids Act

Floor Speech

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Mrs. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to H.R. 2616.

At a time when people are asking Congress to lower costs, crack down on corruption and powerful abusers, and keep children safe, House Republicans remain fixated on bullying vulnerable kids instead of addressing the real problems facing this country.

This bill forces teachers to out transgender students to their own parents even when they know it could put that child at risk of abuse, homelessness, or violence.

Think about that.

Republicans want to force teachers to betray the trust of children who likely already feel scared, isolated, and unsafe at home.

That is dangerous.

Most young people confide in their families when they feel safe doing so, but some queer kids don't have that option.

These same Republicans who consistently talk about small government cut funding to a local library in Bisbee a couple weeks ago just because it hosted a drag story time. Now, they want to control what teachers can say, what students can read, and even a name a child can use at school.

Where will it end?

This bill censors discussions about transgender people and gender identity altogether. It sends a message that trans people should be erased from classrooms, from history, and from public life. Transgender people exist. They are our neighbors, our students, our classmates, our coworkers, our friends, and our children. No bill passed in this Chamber will ever change that.

What this legislation will do is make schools less safe for already vulnerable students.

I hate to break it to my Republican colleagues, but attacking trans kids will not make groceries or gas cheaper. It will not lower rent. It will not bring down healthcare costs. It will not make anyone's life better. It will not make this Nation safer, and it certainly won't make our kids safer in school.

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Mrs. GRIJALVA. It is time to stop scapegoating children, stop targeting our kids, stop obsessing about gender identity, and let's start doing the jobs that people actually sent us here to do.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record this letter from the ACLU opposing H.R. 2616. ACLU, National Political Advocacy Dept., Washington, DC, April 28, 2026.

Dear Representative: ACLU Urges NO Vote on H.R. 2616--the ``Stopping Indoctrination and Protecting Kids Act''.

The American Civil Liberties Union urges all representatives to vote NO on H.R. 2616, the ``Stopping Indoctrination and Protecting Kids Act.'' Because of the harmful impact this bill would have on transgender students across the country, the ACLU will be scoring the vote.

H.R. 2616 attempts to erase the lives and experiences of transgender people from public school classrooms across the country in violation of the Constitution, and could even result in forcibly outing trans and non-binary students to their families before they feel ready or even safe doing so.

Youth who are transgender often face a real risk of rejection by the adults who are supposed to care for them when they disclose their gender identity. Trans people are much more likely to be abused by their immediate family based on their gender identity, and high risks of abuse and family rejection mean that trans youth are overrepresented in foster care homes, juvenile detention centers, and homeless shelters. Familial rejection and abuse dramatically increases the risks of suicidality, substance abuse, and depression. The unfortunate reality is that not every child can be their true selves at home without risking their physical or emotional well-being.

For trans and non-binary youth, especially those who cannot be safe at home, school may be one of the few places to be themselves. This bill would strip this precious freedom from these students. Trans and non-binary students thrive when they are affirmed in their gender identity, which includes being called by a name and pronouns that reflect who they are. When these youth are supported at home, they can become the happy, confident children their parents hoped they would be. As trans and non-binary youth consistently report, being able to live and learn as their true selves transforms their lives for the better. Many schools across the country recognize that a supportive learning environment requires treating trans and non-binary students with dignity and respect.

Everyone has a right under the First Amendment to share ideas and receive knowledge, free from government censorship and discrimination. It's important that students can read and learn about the history and viewpoints of all communities-- including their own identity--both inside and outside the classroom. This legislation would prohibit K-12 schools from receiving federal funds if they teach ``concepts related to gender ideology,'' effectively censoring teachers from talking about and students from receiving information relating to gender identity. ``Gender ideology'' is a vague, ideologically charged term that amounts to acknowledging the reality that trans and non-binary people exist and have existed for all of human history. Prohibiting teachers from teaching about gender identity in schools won't change that reality, but will threaten teachers' ability to speak freely and students to learn. Our nation's public schools should be places where young people are free to explore ideas, encounter new perspectives, learn to think for themselves, and where they can see themselves and the issues that impact them reflected in their classrooms.

Nothing about this dangerous, discriminatory bill ``protects'' kids. Quite the contrary, this legislation is intended to endanger students who are transgender or non- binary by outing them against their will and erasing their lives and experiences from the classroom in violation of the Constitution. The ACLU urges all members of Congress to stand with trans and non-binary young people and the First Amendment by voting NO on H.R. 2616. Please contact Ian Thompson, Senior Legislative Advocate, with any questions. Sincerely, Mike Zamore, National Director of Policy & Government Affairs.

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Mrs. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on H.R. 2616.

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