Vote No on H.B. 2616 and H.B. 2617 — These Bills Endanger Lives

Vote no on H.B. 2616 and H.B. 2617. These bills are cruel, evil, and could be a death sentence for transgender kids. H.B. 2616 forces schools to out transgender students to their parents before allowing them to use the correct restroom or be called by their preferred name. For kids in unsupportive or abusive homes, this could mean rejection, violence, or being thrown out onto the streets. H.B. 2617 bans schools from teaching anything that acknowledges trans or nonbinary people exist. That's erasure designed to make vulnerable students feel invisible and ashamed. Transgender youth already face alarming rates of suicide and homelessness. These bills would make that crisis worse by stripping away the one safe space many of these kids have. Schools should protect students, not expose them to harm. Rep. Tim Walberg, who introduced H.B. 2616, previously traveled to Uganda to support their anti-LGBTQ law that includes the death penalty for gay people. That tells you everything about the intent here. This legislation is designed to hurt kids, and it will succeed if you let it pass. Vote no.