The Leadership Conference Opposes H.R. 28

View a PDF of the letter here.

January 13, 2025

Oppose H.R. 28 to Protect Civil Rights

Dear Member of Congress,

On behalf of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 240 national organizations to promote and protect the civil and human rights of all persons in the United States, and the 414 undersigned organizations, we call for the full inclusion, protection, and celebration of transgender, nonbinary, and intersex youth, including access to extracurricular activities such as athletics, and to school facilities, safe and inclusive school environments, and accurate and inclusive curriculum. We reject H.R. 28, the so-called Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2025, because it would harm women and girls and undermine civil rights for all students.

This discriminatory proposal seeks to exclude transgender, nonbinary, and intersex people from athletics programs in schools. Although the authors of the legislation represent themselves as serving the interests of cisgender[1] girls and women, this legislation does not address the longstanding barriers all girls and women have faced in their pursuit of athletics. Instead of providing for equal facilities, equipment, and travel, or any other strategy that women athletes have been pushing for for decades, the bill cynically veils an attack on transgender people as a question of athletics policy.[2]

Youth sports often play a significant role in children’s lives and development, helping them to develop critical life skills like communication, teamwork, and leadership. Sports spaces are imperative for all young people, no matter their gender. Transgender, nonbinary, and intersex youth want to participate in team sports for the same reasons as their cisgender peers: to be part of a team, learn sportsmanship, and challenge themselves. School athletics are very often the centerpiece of communities across the country, and denying transgender, nonbinary, and intersex youth the chance to participate only serves to deny them an opportunity to be part of that community, further isolating and stigmatizing these youth.[3]

The civil and human rights community is no stranger to the proffering of a bigoted agenda as if it were about equal opportunity. We know about wolves in sheep’s clothing. We know that when affirmative action policies created to level the playing field in higher education admissions are attacked by opponents of voting rights (as was true in the Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) v. Harvard College/University of North Carolina cases), that their agenda is not about the rights of people of color.[4]   We know that when companies profit from poverty wages for disabled people, especially in segregated work sites (as is the case for sheltered workshops that pay subminimum wages to disabled workers), that their agenda is not about independence and self-determination for workers.[5] And we know that when opponents of Title IX, including those who have sought for decades to weaken its protections and undermine its enforcement, now present themselves as the law’s champions, that their agenda is not about the rights of women and girls.[6]

Targeting and excluding transgender, nonbinary, and intersex students from participation in school programming, including athletics programs, alongside their cisgender peers is harmful to all students and undermines the learning environment for everyone. If schools mark some students effectively as outcasts, they foster an environment where no student is included and safe. H.R.28’s vague language and intrusive focus on scrutiny of students’ bodies will effectively exclude cisgender girls and women with intersex variations from participation, will invite scrutiny and harassment of any other student perceived by anyone as not conforming to sex stereotypes, and will likely be disproportionately used to target all girls and women of color. We support the full inclusion and protection of transgender, nonbinary, and intersex youth.

We are fortunate that transgender, nonbinary, and intersex people are present in our community, and we fully embrace them as members of our community. As organizations that care deeply about ending sex-based discrimination and ensuring equal educational opportunities, we support laws and policies that protect transgender people from discrimination, including full and equal participation in sports, access to gender-affirming care, access to school facilities, and access to inclusive curriculum. We firmly believe that an attack on transgender youth is an attack on civil rights.

We ask all members of Congress to strongly oppose H.R. 28 and to reject attacks on transgender, nonbinary, and intersex youth; to commit themselves to meaningfully advancing policies that support equal opportunity; and to reassure all students in the nation’s classrooms that they will have the chance to learn, grow, and thrive. If you have any questions, please reach out to Liz King, senior program director at The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, at [email protected].

Sincerely,

National (121)

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
Advocates for Trans Equality
Advocates for Youth
AFT
American Association of University Women (AAUW)
American Atheists
American Civil Liberties Union
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME)
American Humanist Association
Amnesty International USA
Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network
Bayard Rustin Center for Social Justice
Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law
Bend the Arc: Jewish Action
CenterLink: The Community of LGBTQ Centers
Chrysalis
Clearinghouse on Women’s Issues
COLAGE
Collective Power for Reproductive Justice
Council for Global Equality
EdTrust
Education Law Center
Educators for Excellence
Elevated Access
Empowering Pacific Islander Communities
Equal Justice Society
Equal Rights Advocates
Equality Federation
Equity Forward
Family Equality
Feminist Majority Foundation
FORGE, Inc.
Gender Justice League
GLAAD
GLMA: Health Professionals Advancing LGBTQ+ Equality
GLSEN
HAIR HAS NO GENDER NFP
Human Rights Campaign
Human Rights First
Ibis Reproductive Health
Impact Fund
Indivisible
interACT: Advocates for Intersex Youth
Interfaith Alliance
Japanese American Citizens League
Jewish Council for Public Affairs
Justice and Joy National Collaborative
Keshet
Labor Council for Latin American Advancement
Lambda Legal
LatinoJustice PRLDEF
Lavender Rights Project
Liberation is Lit
LPAC
Matthew Shepard Foundation
Movement Advancement Project
MPact Global
NAACP
NAACP Legal Defense Fund
Nathaniel R. Jones Foundation
National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA)
National Association of Social Workers
National Center for Lesbian Rights
National Council of Jewish Women
National Disability Rights Network (NDRN)
National Education Association
National Hispanic Media Coalition
National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund
National LGBTQ+ Bar Association
National LGBTQI+ Cancer Network
National Network of Abortion Funds
National Organization for Women
National Partnership for Women & Families
National Urban League
National Women’s Law Center
Nclusion Plus
NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice
Our Schools USA
Out in Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics, Inc.
Patchwork Transgender Peer Services
People For the American Way
PFLAG National
Planned Parenthood Federation of America
Point of Pride
Popular Democracy
Positive Women’s Network-USA
Pride At Work, AFL-CIO
Public Justice
Reproaction
Reproductive Freedom for All (formerly NARAL Pro-Choice America)
Safe Schools Action Network
Sam & Devorah Foundation for Trans Youth
Service Employees International Union (SEIU)
SIECUS: Sex Ed for Social Change
Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF)
State Innovation Exchange (SiX) Action
Tbuddy
The Advocacy Institute
The Advocates for Human Rights
The Autistic People of Color Fund
The Global Trans Equity Project
The Restaurant Opportunities Centers United (ROC United)
The TransLatin@ Coalition
Trans In Color
Transathlete
Transcending Adolescence
TransFamily Support Services
Transgender Law Center
TransParent
T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights
UFCW OUTreach
Union for Reform Judaism
United Church of Christ
URGE: Unite for Reproductive & Gender Equity
Voices for Progress
Voters of Tomorrow
Western States Center
Whitman-Walker Institute
Youth MOVE National
Youth Seen
YWCA USA
 

Regional/State/Local (294)

African American Office of Gay Concerns
Aces NYC
Adirondack North Country Gender Alliance
Advocates for Children of New York
AJL Community Health
Alliance For Full Acceptance SC
American Federation of Teachers – Oregon
Arkansas Black Gay Men’s Forum
Association of Latinos/as/xs Motivating Action
Azalea Coffee Bar
Bans Off Miami
Basic Rights Oregon
Battle Born Progress
Bolingbrook Pride
Brenham PFLAG
Brooklyn Community Pride Center
CA LGBTQ Health and Human Services Network
CalPride
CAMP Rehoboth
Campaign for Southern Equality
Carolina Abortion Fund
Casa Freehold
Cascade AIDS Project
Central Coast Coalition for Inclusive Schools
Charlotte Trans Health
Chattanooga Trans Liberation Collective
Chicago Teachers Union LGBTQ+ Committee
Chicago Therapy Collective
City of West Hollywood
Courage California
Crescent Care
Deerfield IL Chapter of PFLAG
Delmarva Pride Center
Denver Health and Hospital Authority
Detroit Area Youth Uniting Michigan (DAYUM)
Disability Law Centerr
Disability Rights California
Disability Rights Oregon
East Bay Sanctuary Covenant
Eastern PA Trans Equity Projct
Education Law Center Pennsylvania
entre hermanos
Envision:You
Equality California
Equality Community Center
Equality Florida
Equality Illinois
Equality Maine
Equality Michigan
Equality New Mexico
Equality NY – Buffalo Chapter
Equality Ohio
Equality South Dakota
Equality Texas
Equitas Health
Fair Wisconsin
Fairness Campaign
Family Forward Oregon
Famous Adventures Summer Camp
Fenway Health
FL National Organization for Women
Florida Council of Churches
Four Corners Rainbow Youth Center
Freedom Oklahoma
Garden State Equality
Gender Alchemy
Gender Justice
Gender Justice LA
GenderNexus
Georgia Equality
GLSEN Arizona
GLYS Western New York Inc.
GRACE/End Child Poverty California
Grand Rapids Trans Foundation
GSAFE
Harriet Hancock Center Foundation
Hawaiʻi ʻOhana Support Network
Health Equity Alliance for LGBTQ+ New Mexicans
Howard Brown Health
Hugh Lane Wellness Foundation
Hyacinth Foundation
Illinois Migrant Council
Inland Empire Prism Collective
Inland Oasis
Jewish Community Relations Council of Broward County
Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Phoenix
Just Us at Oasis Center
Kol Ami
Latino Equality Alliance
Latino Network
Lavender Phoenix
Levine Center To End Hate/Jewish Federation of Greater Rochester
LGBT Center of Raleigh
LGBT Center of SE Wisconsin
LGBT Community Network
LGBTQ Center OC
LGBTQ Community Center of the Desert
LGBTQ+ Center Lake County
LGBTQ+ Community Center of Darke County
LGBTQI+ Rights Clinic, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law
Life Is Work
Los Angeles LGBT Center
Louisiana Trans Advocates
Louisville Youth Group
Loving Beyond Understanding
Lyon Martin Community Health
LYRIC
Mabel Wadsworth Center
MaineTransNet
Make it Better for Youth
Make the Road Nevada
Mama Bears Playgroup
Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition
MassEquality
Metro Trans Umbrella Group
Michigan Alliance for Special Education
Michigan Education Justice Coalition
Michigan Student Power Alliance
Monica Roberts Resource Center
Montgomery Pride United/ Bayard Rustin Community Center
Muncie OUTreach LGBTQ+ Center
Naper Pride
Nevada Chapter of the National Organization for Women
New Alternatives For Homeless LGBT Youth
New Haven Pride Center
New Jersey Safe Schools Coalition
New Mexico Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs
Next Up Action Fund
North County LGBTQ Resource Center
North Dakota Human Rights Coalition
North Shore Alliance of LGBTQ+ Youth (NAGLY)
NoVA Prism Center
Oasis Legal Services
Office of Strategic Partnerships, California Department of Health Care Services
One Colorado
one-n-ten
OUT Maine
OutCenter Southwest Michigan
OutFront Minnesota
OUTMemphis
OutNebraska
OutReach LGBTQ+ Community Center
PAVE
Peoria Proud
PFLAG Aiken (South Carolina)
PFLAG Akron
PFLAG Angleton- Lake Jackson
PFLAG Athens Area, Georgia
PFLAG Cape Cod
PFLAG Chicago Metro
PFLAG Clayton-Concord
PFLAG Collingswood
PFLAG Columbus, Ohio
PFLAG Council of Northern Illinois
PFLAG Danville/ Central Susquehanna Valley
PFLAG DanvilleKY
PFLAG Dayton
PFLAG Decatur
PFLAG Deerfield IL
PFLAG Delaware
PFLAG Detroit
PFLAG DuPage
PFLAG Edwardsville
PFLAG Flat Rock/Hendersonville, NC
PFLAG Fort Collins / Northern Colorado
PFLAG Fort Wayne
PFLAG Fort Worth
PFLAG Frederick
PFLAG Geneva/Tri-Cities
PFLAG Grayslake/Round Lake
PFLAG Greater Boston
PFLAG Greater St. Louis
PFLAG GREENSBURG
PFLAG Hartford
PFLAG Homewood-Flossmoor
PFLAG HuntsvilleTX
PFLAG Illinois
PFLAG Ithaca-Cortland
PFLAG Lafayette/Tippecanoe County Indiana
PFLAG Lamorinda
PFLAG Los Angeles
PFLAG Madison WI
PFLAG meto chapter
PFLAG NYC
PFLAG O’ahu
PFLAG Oakland-East Bay
PFLAG Peoria
PFLAG Plymouth-Canton
PFLAG Port Charlotte Chapter
PFLAG Sacramento
PFLAG Salisbury
PFLAG San Diego County
PFLAG San Francisco
PFLAG San Jose/Peninsula
PFLAG Sandy Springs
PFLAG Seattle
PFLAG Sonoma County
PFLAG Southern Maryland
PFLAG Springfield/SWMO
PFLAG Tinley Park
PFLAG Tri-Valley
PFLAG Valparaiso
PFLAG West Chester/Chester County
PFLAG Youngstown
Philadelphia Asian and Queer
Pride Action Tank/AIDS Foundation Chicago
Pride at Work – Hawai’i
Pride Center of Terre Haute Inc.
Pride Community Center, Inc (Bryan/College Station, Texas)
Pride in Action, Southern IL
Pride Lafayette (Indiana)
Princess Janae Place
PRISM FL
Prism United
Pro-Choice North Carolina
PROMO Missouri
Public Health Institute of Metropolitan Chicago
QT Summer Camp
Queer City Therapy
Queer Keys
Queer Trans Black Indigenous People of Color Agency
Queermunity Collaborative
Rabbi Joseph H. Gumbiner Community Action Project at Tucson Jewish Museum & Holocaust Center
Rad Family, a project of North Jersey Pride
Rainbow Collective of WNY
Rainbow Families Bay Area Community Group
Rainbow Labs
Rainbow Pride Youth Alliance
Reproductive Justice Action Collective
Resource Center
Rising Voices
Rochester Rainbow Union
Rockland County Pride Center
Rocky Mountain Equality
Rogue Action Center
Sacramento LGBT Community Center
Salisbury Pride
San Joaquin Delta College
San Joaquin Pride Center, INC.
Save Our Sisters United
Serving at-risk families everywhere, Inc.
Sexual Assault Services Organization
Silver State Equality-Nevada
Sioux Falls Pride
SMYAL
SOJOURN: Southern Jewish Resource Network for Gender and Sexual Diversity
Solano Pride Center
Somos Familia Valle
Soul 2 Soul Sisters
South Carolina Equality
Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation
Southwest Women’s Law Center
Spencer Pride, Inc.
St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church
Support FHPS Action
TaskForce Prevention and Community Services
Tennessee Equality Project
The Center Project
The Cherry Fund
The DC LGBTQ+ Community Center
The GLO Center
The Human Rights Alliance
The Lavender Room
The LGBTQ Center of Southern Nevada
The LIAM Foundation
The LOFT LGBTQ+ Community Center
The Mahogany Project
The Pinta Pride Project and Buffalo Grove Pride
The Pride Center at Equality Park
The San Diego LGBT Community Center
The Sports Bra
The Transformation Project South Dakota
Towards an Anti-Racist North Kingstown (TANK)
TRACTION
Trans Maryland
Trans-E-Motion
Transformative Justice Law Project of Illinois
Transgender Michigan
Transgender Resource Center of New Mexico
Transgender Resource, Advocacy and Network Service
TransOhio
T-time Transgender Support
Uniting Pride of Champaign County
Upstate NY Black & Latino Pride, Inc.
Viet Rainbow of Orange County
Waves Ahead Corp
We Are Family
Wild West Access Fund of Nevada
WNY Man Made Men
Women’s Rights and Empowerment Network
Youth Leadership Institute
Youth Outlook
Youth OUTright
Zebra Youth

[1] The term “cisgender” means that someone’s gender identity is the same as the gender they were thought to be at birth. A transgender person is someone whose gender identity is different from the gender they were thought to be at birth. A person who is nonbinary is someone who does not identify as a woman or a man. A person who is intersex is someone who is born with or naturally develops genitalia, hormones, internal anatomy, and/or chromosomes that may be perceived as not fitting binary definitions of “male” or “female.”

[2] For more information about how to sincerely advance gender equity in athletics, see: https://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Chasing-Equity-Executive-Summary.pdf, https://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/13_Low-Res_Title-IX-50-Report.pdf, and https://www.ncwge.org/TitleIX50/NCWGE%20Title%20IX%20At%2050%20-%206.2.22%20vF.pdf.

[3] Denying students the opportunity to participate in athletics because they are transgender, nonbinary, or intersex not only causes the harm of a lost benefit, but anti-LGBTQ policies themselves harm the mental wellbeing of LGBTQ students. See, for example, https://www.thetrevorproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Issues-Impacting-LGBTQ-Youth-MC-Poll_Public-2.pdf.

[4] Biskupic, Joan. “Challenge to Harvard’s Use of Affirmative Action Was Designed By a Conservative to Reach a Friendly Supreme Court.” CNN. October 31, 2022. Available at: https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/30/politics/scotus-affirmative-action-college-admissions-edward-blum/index.html.

[5] Hopkins, Madison. “Missouri Allows Some Disabled Workers to Earn Less than $1 an Hour. The State Says It’s Fine If That Never Changes.” The Kansas City Beacon. November 15, 2022. Available at: https://www.propublica.org/article/missouri-sheltered-workshops-low-graduation-rate.

[6] See, for example: https://dojmt.gov/attorney-general-knudsen-leads-15-state-coalition-against-federal-attempt-to-weaken-title-ix/; https://dailymontanan.com/2021/09/01/montana-ag-knudsen-signs-onto-lawsuit-challenging-federal-stance-on-transgender-athletes/; https://www.heritage.org/gender/commentary/bidens-new-title-ix-rule-guts-protections-women-and-girls-heres-how-fight-it; https://www.regulations.gov/comment/ED-2018-OCR-0064-104813; https://www.regulations.gov/comment/ED-2018-OCR-0064-32712; and https://www.regulations.gov/comment/ED-2018-OCR-0064-10499.