1. United States
2. Md.
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you to oppose House Resolution 7661, the so-called "Stop Sexualization of Children Act," which was introduced this week. This legislation represents a dangerous federal overreach that would give censors broad authority to remove books from schools and libraries across the United States. HR 7661 would prohibit federal education funds from supporting any program or activity for children under 18 that includes "sexually oriented material." The bill's language is intentionally vague and sweeping, designed to ban books that do not actually exist while targeting legitimate educational resources. This represents an unprecedented escalation of book censorship from the state to the federal level. Most troubling is the bill's explicit targeting of transgender people. The legislation defines "sexually oriented material" to include anything involving "gender dysphoria or transgenderism." This provision would weaponize federal funding to discriminate against trans youth and remove resources that help students understand themselves and their peers. At a time when trans Americans already face increasing threats, this bill would provide another tool for government-sanctioned discrimination. The bill also attempts to ban "lewd or lascivious dancing," a thinly veiled effort to prohibit drag reading events that have enriched library programming in communities nationwide. This language polices expression and limits the diverse cultural experiences available to young people. Students deserve access to books that reflect the full range of human experience. Libraries and schools should be trusted to curate age-appropriate materials without federal interference. HR 7661 would impose a narrow ideological vision on education while threatening the intellectual freedom that is fundamental to learning. I ask you to publicly oppose HR 7661 and work to ensure it does not advance. Our students' freedom to read and explore ideas should not be subject to federal censorship.