Democrats in both the House and Senate have reintroduced the Transgender Bill of Rights, calling on the federal government to “codify the rights of transgender and nonbinary people under the law and ensure their access to medical care, shelter, safety, and economic security.”

The effort is being led by Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) and Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), who is the parent of a transgender child. The pair also introduced the Trans Bill of Rights in 2023.

“We are laying out a comprehensive vision to provide protections for transgender and nonbinary people — a vision that ensures that every single person has a chance to thrive,” Jayapal said during a press conferenceannouncing the bill’s reintroduction.

“A vision that says: you are us, you belong, and you are worthy of the same rights as everyone else. This bill supports amending the Civil Rights Act to ensure that trans people have the same rights and protections as all other Americans. It creates a level playing field where trans people no longer have to fight tooth and nail to get the same treatment as their cisgender friends.”

Markey added, “Trans rights are human rights, and they must be protected every single day of every single year, and we stand together in solidarity with the trans community and with those who fight for those rights and with those who have too often been left behind by a system that refuses to recognize their humanity. We are here todau to ensure that every trans and gender-diverse person in America can live freely and safely and authentically. That’s what the Trans Bill of Rights is all about.”

“It is not just a framework; it is a moral commitment that must be made to the trans community.” 

The legislation establishes that an estimated 1.6 million trans adults live in the United States and says the Supreme Court affirmed in Bostock v. Clayton County “that Federal protection against discrimination on the basis of sex includes protection from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.”

It also points out that “several courts have correctly concluded that discrimination against transgender people because of their sex and gender identity violates Title IX,” and despite these protections, trans people still face outsized discrimination in every area of life. 

Markey ended his speech with a message to the president and other MAGA Republicans “who think they can push trans people out of American life”: “We are louder, we are stronger, and we are not going anywhere. We’re in this fight for the long term.”

The trans rights organization Advocates For Trans Equality (A4TE) celebrated and endorsed the bill. 

“At a time when so many politicians and pundits are urging public officials to turn their backs on trans people, Rep. Jayapal, Sen. Markey, and their cosponsoring colleagues have taken a bold and necessary stand for the trans community,” saidOlivia Hunt, A4TE Director of Federal Policy. 

“This resolution,” Hunt added, “is an affirmative declaration that, even in the face of discrimination and violence, trans people will always joyfully exist.”