Everyone has the right to be who they are and to express their gender in ways that work for them. Yet politicians continue to villainize transgender people simply for being who they are, and to make private spaces unsafe.

This legislation is clearly a response to pro-Palestine and anti-war student protestors. We recognize and deplore the disingenuous use of charges of antisemitism to advance H.R. 9495. We know the rights of Jewish, Muslim, LGBTQ, and all young people are intertwined. We are committed to an intersectional approach that reaches across identity and issue area silos towards greater solidarity and allyship. 

Nex Benedict should be alive today. While this announcement is a move toward justice for survivors of violence and abuse, many young people remain at risk. Elected officials must stop playing political games with students’ lives and adopt the Biden Administration’s updated Title IX guidance. Students' lives are at stake.

Make no mistake: we are no stranger to setbacks, and youth activists will continue to strategize and mobilize against misinformation and extremism in all its forms. Advocates for Youth remains steadfast in its commitment to supporting young people and their ability to make informed decisions about their body and their future unobstructed by political extremism or judicial activism – regardless of who occupies the Oval Office.

Today’s announcement is a historic win for youth activists and allies who have spent years fighting for over-the-counter birth control, covered by insurance.

A new report from ProPublica confirms what abortion access activists have long known to be true: abortion bans put pregnant people at risk of preventable complications and death.  Over two years since the Dobbs ruling, we are seeing its terrible toll on people who need abortion care. News came out this week that two women have died due to Georgia’s abortion ban.