1. United States
2. Md.
3. Letter

I urge opposition to H.R. 9218, the Defining Male and Female Act of 2024. This bill would codify a narrow and discriminatory definition of gender that fails to account for the diversity of human experiences. It promotes an antiquated binary view at odds with modern scientific understanding of gender and sex as existing on a spectrum. Furthermore, enshrining such restrictive language into law enables discrimination against transgender, non-binary, and intersex individuals by invalidating their identities and lived realities. This regressive measure undermines civil liberties and human rights principles our nation claims to uphold. Rather than divide Americans through cynical politics, Congress should advance policies that protect all people's dignity and equal protection under the law. I implore you to reject this harmful legislation.