Oppose the Stop the Sexualization of Children Act

I urge you to oppose the Stop the Sexualization of Children Act, which would impose sweeping restrictions on educational materials in federally funded programs serving students under 18. This legislation functions as a federal book ban that threatens academic freedom, limits access to medically accurate health information, and marginalizes LGBTQ students. The bill prohibits federal funding for any program containing materials it defines as sexually oriented, including any content involving gender dysphoria or transgenderism. This viewpoint-based restriction would force schools to remove contemporary literature, health education resources, and any materials acknowledging LGBTQ identities. Students would lose access to books addressing their lived experiences and medically accurate information about human development. The legislation creates an arbitrary and inflexible canon of permissible works by referencing specific publications from 1990 and 2019. Only materials listed in the second edition of Great Books of the Western World, two particular articles by Thomas Purifoy Jr. and Mary Pierson Purifoy, and the 2019-2020 Smarthistory AP Art History guide would qualify as acceptable classic works. This approach excludes decades of significant literary and artistic contributions based solely on publication dates and the preferences of particular anthologists. The bill incorporates definitions from federal criminal statutes originally designed for child pornography prosecutions, conflating legitimate educational content with criminal conduct. Teachers providing standard health education could face impossible compliance burdens and potential legal jeopardy. No enforcement agency, compliance procedures, or cost estimates are specified, leaving schools without guidance on implementation. Educational institutions should not be forced to choose between comprehensive, inclusive education and federal funding. This legislation would create educational disparities, chill legitimate instruction, and deny students access to information they need to understand themselves and their world. I ask you to oppose this bill and protect students' right to access diverse, accurate educational materials.