Friend –

Last week, Pennsylvania lawmakers joined the fray of anti-trans legislation by passing House Bill 972, a bill that would ban transgender girls and women from participating in school athletics, out of the Senate Education Committee. The bill now heads to the full Senate.

Tell your state senator: Let kids be kids and participate in school athletics!

Athletics give trans youth a sense of belonging and inclusion. Research also consistently shows that participation in activities benefits students emotionally and academically. At the same time, these types of attacks on transgender and non-binary youth have become all too common, and have devastating impacts on their mental health.

After years of focusing on restrooms and locker rooms, opponents of LGBTQ equality have shifted strategy to focus on excluding trans youth from activities, like sports, that affirm their sense of self. At last count, over 200 anti-LGBTQ laws have been proposed in 35 states in 2022.

These attacks represent a coordinated campaign to push trans people out of public life.

Bills like H.B. 972 are based on inaccurate and harmful beliefs about transgender people and intentionally misrepresent the impact of trans athletes' participation in sports. Two dozen national women's rights organizations oppose such bills, which attempt to pit cisgender athletes against trans athletes, and fail to address real challenges facing women and girls in sports.

Discriminating against trans students isn't just immoral. It's also unconstitutional.

Will you contact your state senator and urge them to speak up for trans youth and oppose H.B. 972?

Thanks so much for taking action,

ACLU of Pennsylvania