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. 

Sonya Massey called the police for help, and instead they murdered her. This horrific killing is yet another example why young people have called for the abolition of police - they do not make us safer, and all too often commit violence and harm against Black youth.

New law creates a statewide standard whereas previously health education standards were the only required academic standard determined at the local level

After years of pressure from students and survivors of sexual violence, the Biden Administration’s Title IX update will make schools safer and more accessible for young people, many of whom experienced irreparable harm while they fought for protection and support.

Today, Advocates for Youth announced it has partnered with Hope in a Box to own and operate the LGBTQ+-inclusive curriculum-to-classroom program. As book bans and curriculum restrictions increasingly target LGBTQ+-affirming content in schools, the collaboration between Advocates for Youth and Hope in a Box will ensure educators and librarians across the country have access to inclusive curriculum guides and toolkits. 

Today, as lawmakers advance restrictions on reproductive health care that disproportionately impact young people, Advocates for Youth and the American Society of Emergency Contraception (ASEC) are launching the EC Access Network to expand access to emergency contraception (EC) on college campuses. Through a  partnership with 6 EC manufacturers and distributors, the EC Access Network will provide 135,000 EC pills to students on 500 campuses nationwide.