The Human Rights Alliance strongly condemns the passage of new federal legislation advanced by House Republicans that targets transgender and gender-diverse youth through censorship, forced outing policies, and the erasure of LGBTQIA2S identities from public education.
According to statements released by the Congressional Equality Caucus, the bill would restrict discussions related to transgender identities in schools while also encouraging policies that force educators to disclose a student’s gender identity to parents regardless of the student’s safety or well-being.
At its core, this legislation is not about protecting children. It is about controlling them. It weaponizes fear, isolates vulnerable young people, and places LGBTQIA2S students at increased risk of bullying, homelessness, mental health crises, and family rejection. Forced outing policies are especially dangerous for transgender, nonbinary, and intersex youth who may not yet be safe disclosing their identity at home. Major medical and mental health organizations have repeatedly affirmed that affirming environments save lives, while coercive disclosure practices can cause measurable harm.
This legislation also represents a broader attempt to erase LGBTQIA2S people from public life entirely. So-called “Don’t Say Trans” policies seek to silence educators, ban honest conversations about identity and existence, and create an atmosphere where students learn that authenticity is dangerous. History has shown repeatedly that censorship targeting marginalized communities is never simply about curriculum. It is about power, fear, and the normalization of exclusion.
As an organization serving LGBTQIA2S people across New Mexico, the Human Rights Alliance recognizes these attacks for what they are: coordinated efforts to dehumanize transgender and gender-diverse people for political gain. Intersex, transgender, nonbinary, and queer young people deserve dignity, privacy, and protection, not legislation designed to turn their identities into political battlegrounds.
We are deeply grateful to the members of the Congressional Equality Caucus who continue to speak out against these dangerous measures and who understand that protecting children means protecting all children. The Human Rights Alliance calls upon lawmakers, educators, faith leaders, parents, and community members to reject policies rooted in fear and instead build communities grounded in compassion, truth, and human dignity.
The Human Rights Alliance encourages community members to contact their elected representatives, support LGBTQIA2S youth organizations, and remain vigilant as similar legislation continues to emerge across the country. Silence has never protected vulnerable communities. Solidarity does.
M. A. D’Arrigo
HRA Board President