1. United States
2. Mich.
3. Letter

I strongly urge you to reject H.R. 9218, the Defining Male and Female Act of 2024. This bill promotes harmful and inaccurate definitions of gender and sex that ignore scientific evidence and modern understandings. It seeks to codify outdated and narrow views that fail to account for the diversity and complexity of human biology and gender identity. Enshrining such restrictive definitions into law would be discriminatory and harmful, particularly to transgender and non-binary individuals whose lived experiences and identities would be legally invalidated. This legislation rests on faulty premises, including the inaccurate claims that there are only two sexes, that sex is immutable from birth, and that gender identity is irrelevant. These assertions contradict established medical consensus and decades of research across multiple fields. Gender exists on a spectrum, with many people's identities and experiences falling outside of rigid binary categories. Codifying these regressive definitions would enable discrimination in areas like employment, housing, healthcare, and public accommodations. It would undermine hard-won civil rights protections and make life substantially more difficult for a vulnerable population that already faces disproportionate marginalization and violence. No credible justification exists for such a damaging piece of legislation. I implore you to vote against this ill-conceived bill that seeks to enshrine bigotry into law. It stands opposed to principles of equality, human rights, and scientific integrity. Any support for these discriminatory provisions would represent a stain on Congress's moral leadership. I urge you to reject H.R. 9218 and uphold the dignity of all Americans. Thank you for your consideration.