Press Releases

Washington, D.C. — Today, Rep. Becca Balint (VT-AL) spoke on the House Floor to condemn H.R. 28, a hateful bill that invades the privacy of children and puts trans Americans at further risk. This ban could subject elementary school aged kids to interrogation and examinations from unknown adults. View the speech here.

Her remarks below:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise in fierce opposition to this bill.

Trans Americans are not the problem. This obsession with monitoring kids' genitals is absolutely the problem.

Let's be clear. This is about kids. My kids, your kids, all kids. All kids, even elementary school kids playing basketball.

I'm a mom of two teens. I'm a former teacher. I know what kids are going through in school. They are already self-conscious about their bodies. They just want to be on the soccer field with their friends. They certainly do not want to be humiliated by members of Congress.

So, come on, let's talk about what enforcement looks like, because you guys, you don't want to talk about it. We know there is only one logical conclusion to this. This is interrogation of young girls. About their bodies. This is asking people to show them what is underneath their underwear.

That is what we’re talking about. This is the logical conclusion for this bill.

So, it's vile. It's twisted. They don't want to talk about the details. It's an absolute invasion of children's privacy.

Far from protecting anyone, it puts our children at risk. And actually, I urge colleagues on both sides of the aisle to reject this government overreach.

I yield back.

As the first openly queer person to represent Vermont in Congress, Rep. Balint is a fierce advocate for LGBTQI+ rights and a voice in Congress for trans rights. She serves as Co-Chair of the Equality Caucus.

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