Democrats Push Back On House Republican Bill Elevating Culture Wars
AOC labels proposed legislation "fascism"
Democrats fought back Thursday against House Republicans who want to bring the kind of culture wars being fought in the states, up to the national level.
House Republicans are set to pass a bill Friday that would guarantee parents access to information about their children’s public education, fulfilling a midterm promise the lawmakers hope will excite their base ahead of the 2024 election.
Democrats are calling the legislation — which among other provisions would single out transgender students — a stunt, and pushed back against it on the House floor.
“What else do they want to ban? They want to ban a book called Melissa, a book describing, in very personal terms, the experience of a trans girl beginning to understand her identity. What’s so dangerous about that?” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) asked during a speech on the House floor. “I was taught in my religion, growing up in the Cornerstone Baptist Church that we are all God’s children. Shouldn’t we learn about all of God’s children? That’s what my religion teaches me. What’s so offensive about Melissa? What’s so offensive about this book?”
The legislation is an attempt to erase LGBTQ Americans from the nation's classrooms, Jeffries said.
“Extreme MAGA Republicans don’t want your child to learn about the LGBTQ+ experience in America. That’s not a decision that extreme MAGA Republicans here in Congress should make,” he said. “The parents of America should be able to make that determination.”
Many of the provisions of House bill mirror laws already passed in many Republican-led states limiting the rights of LGBTQ students, banning books from school libraries and seeks to erase the historical struggle of Black Americans from classrooms, as well.
Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) was even more blunt in describing the House bill.
“When we talk about progressive values, I can say what my progressive value is, and that is freedom over fascism!” she said in her floor remarks.
The “Parents Bill of Rights Act,” will likely pass the Republican-led House but faces a much less certain future in the Democratic-majority Senate.
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