ABQ Times

House Republicans Push Legislation Through the U.S. House of Representatives That Undermines the Safety of Transgender and LGBTQ+ Students and Paves the Way for Banning Children From School Sports.

On April 20, 2023, U.S. Representative Melanie Stansbury (N.M.-01), a member of the Congressional Equality Caucus and Democratic Women’s Caucus leadership team, released the following statement after voting against a House Republican bill that prevents transgender student athletes from playing sports:

“To all of our trans and LGBTQ kids who are watching today, let me just say that we see you, that we love you and that you belong. Now, let's be clear about what this bill actually is. It's about legislating hate, in the name of advancing a political agenda. Our colleagues are trying to claim that they're out here defending the rights of women, as they're waging a campaign to take away our reproductive freedoms, to ban books and now to bully our kids. It's disgusting.

“I'm proud to be a New Mexican, and I'm proud to be from a state that is defending the rights of our children of our LGBTQ+ community and our reproductive rights—because in New Mexico, we stand with trans kids, and we stand in the fiercest opposition to this bill.”

Rep. Stansbury was the lead House sponsor of the Early Education Enhancement Act in the 117th Congress, which provided Congressional authorization and concurrence for New Mexico to make the nation’s largest investment in universal early childhood education ever in its history. Together with Senator Martin Heinrich and other Democratic members of New Mexico delegation, Rep. Stansbury championed the passage of this landmark legislation in the FY 23 Omnibus budget. Rep. Stansbury has also championed education and youth opportunities across New Mexico’s First Congressional District, securing millions for community projects including the state’s first Homeless Youth Center in Albuquerque and programs to support youth development and employment.

Original source can be found here.