Republican Louisiana Congressman Mike Johnson has introduced legislation to effectively bar federal funding from institutions across the U.S. that recognize the existence of gender identity or sexual orientation.
The bill, officially titled the “Stop the Sexualization of Children Act,” is being dubbed as a federal version of Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law, legislation that severely restricts the discussion of LGBTQ issues in public schools throughout the state. Several critics have noted, however, that Johnson’s proposal is even more restrictive than the Florida law — if passed, it would forbid such subjects not only in schools, but also in libraries, hospitals, military bases and other institutions.
The bill doesn’t have a strong chance of passing at this time — Democrats, who are opposed to such measures, control both houses of Congress and the presidency. But the legislation is indicative of what Republicans could try to pass into law should they win the 2022 midterms and the White House in 2024.
Johnson’s bill would, among other items, restrict entities that receive federal funding from discussing with children “any topic involving gender identity, gender dysphoria, transgenderism, sexual orientation, or related subjects.”
In a statement regarding the legislation, Johnson lied about indoctrination and perversion of youth, arguments that have become common among far right lawmakers and commentators in recent months, to justify why his bill should be passed.
“The Democrat Party [sic] and their cultural allies are on a misguided crusade to immerse young children in sexual imagery and radical gender ideology,” Johnson said. “No federal tax dollars should go to any federal, state, or local government agencies, or private organizations that intentionally expose children under 10 years of age to sexually explicit material.”
The legislation would allow parents to file lawsuits against any entity that receives federal funding and is in violation of the bill’s language.
“Universities, public schools, hospitals, medical clinics, etc. could all be defunded if they host any event discussing LGBTQ people and children could be present,” tweeted Alejandra Caraballo, a clinical instructor at Harvard Law School. “The way they define ‘sexually oriented material’ simply includes anything about LGBTQ people.”
“This is the American version of Russia’s gay propaganda law passed in 2013. This is their end game,” Caraballo added, referring to Republicans. “To censor and ban LGBTQ from all public life and force them back into the closet.”
Restricting federal funds from programs that discuss LGBTQ issues would reduce children’s ability to see aspects of themselves represented in institutions that receive federal funds. Indeed, with around 1 in 10 children identifying as gay or bisexual in the U.S., kids involved in federally-funded programs who may have questions about themselves could feel stigmatized after being told by adults that they cannot discuss those matters, for fear of facing litigation.
Truthout Is Preparing to Meet Trump’s Agenda With Resistance at Every Turn
Dear Truthout Community,
If you feel rage, despondency, confusion and deep fear today, you are not alone. We’re feeling it too. We are heartsick. Facing down Trump’s fascist agenda, we are desperately worried about the most vulnerable people among us, including our loved ones and everyone in the Truthout community, and our minds are racing a million miles a minute to try to map out all that needs to be done.
We must give ourselves space to grieve and feel our fear, feel our rage, and keep in the forefront of our mind the stark truth that millions of real human lives are on the line. And simultaneously, we’ve got to get to work, take stock of our resources, and prepare to throw ourselves full force into the movement.
Journalism is a linchpin of that movement. Even as we are reeling, we’re summoning up all the energy we can to face down what’s coming, because we know that one of the sharpest weapons against fascism is publishing the truth.
There are many terrifying planks to the Trump agenda, and we plan to devote ourselves to reporting thoroughly on each one and, crucially, covering the movements resisting them. We also recognize that Trump is a dire threat to journalism itself, and that we must take this seriously from the outset.
After the election, the four of us sat down to have some hard but necessary conversations about Truthout under a Trump presidency. How would we defend our publication from an avalanche of far right lawsuits that seek to bankrupt us? How would we keep our reporters safe if they need to cover outbreaks of political violence, or if they are targeted by authorities? How will we urgently produce the practical analysis, tools and movement coverage that you need right now — breaking through our normal routines to meet a terrifying moment in ways that best serve you?
It will be a tough, scary four years to produce social justice-driven journalism. We need to deliver news, strategy, liberatory ideas, tools and movement-sparking solutions with a force that we never have had to before. And at the same time, we desperately need to protect our ability to do so.
We know this is such a painful moment and donations may understandably be the last thing on your mind. But we must ask for your support, which is needed in a new and urgent way.
We promise we will kick into an even higher gear to give you truthful news that cuts against the disinformation and vitriol and hate and violence. We promise to publish analyses that will serve the needs of the movements we all rely on to survive the next four years, and even build for the future. We promise to be responsive, to recognize you as members of our community with a vital stake and voice in this work.
Please dig deep if you can, but a donation of any amount will be a truly meaningful and tangible action in this cataclysmic historical moment.
We’re with you. Let’s do all we can to move forward together.
With love, rage, and solidarity,
Maya, Negin, Saima, and Ziggy