1. United States
2. Conn.
3. Letter

I write as an LGTBQ+ Connecticut resident and your constituent who is deeply alarmed by your sponsorship of the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA). I urge you: withdraw your support for a bill that endangers LGBTQ+ youth and hands dangerous censorship powers to those who want to erase them. KOSA’s “bipartisanship” is not a virtue—it’s a liability. As Project 2025 and the Heritage Foundation pursue their systematic campaign to silence progressive and queer voices, your support for KOSA enables them, not protects us. The Heritage Foundation celebrates KOSA as central to its censorship agenda. When anti-LGBTQ+ extremists declare plans to weaponize this bill, Democratic support is not statesmanship—it’s capitulation. KOSA will not keep kids safe. Instead, it will harm the very youth it claims to protect. For countless LGBTQ+ teens, online communities are lifelines. KOSA, with its vague standards, will pressure platforms to suppress or erase vital information about gender, sexuality, and reproductive health—placing those resources at risk of being swept away under the pretense of “safety.” We have seen states ban inclusive books and vital healthcare. KOSA hands federal agencies, already influenced by culture war politics, more tools to attack marginalized voices. KOSA’s expansion of surveillance (through broad age verification and parental monitoring) is similarly dangerous. These measures are invasive and actually increase the risk for young people, especially those escaping abuse, by undermining their privacy and access to help. Dozens of LGBTQ+ and civil rights organizations—including the ACLU, Equality Texas, EFF, and major transgender advocacy groups—oppose this bill. Their message is clear: you cannot protect children by endangering the most vulnerable among them. Attempts to “fix” the bill have not made it content-neutral. As civil rights advocates have warned, platforms will over-censor, stifling critically needed support and free speech. Even some Republicans recognize KOSA is a weapon for censorship. Senator Rand Paul has raised red flags, and House GOP members have blocked previous versions, concerned about free speech risks. Why would Democratic leaders now choose to help Project 2025 realize its most regressive ambitions? Senator Blumenthal, do not let your legacy be empowering the very machinery of censorship that seeks to eliminate the rights and existence of your own constituents. We do not accept “bipartisanship” at the expense of queer youth and free expression. If you want to help kids online, pass robust data privacy laws, not top-down censorship imposed by the whims of partisan officials. I urge you: drop your support for KOSA, protect your LGBTQ+ constituents, and stand on the right side of history. Do not hand our rights to those determined to erase us.