On Feb. 11, US Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-7), alongside Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey and California Reps. Mark Takano (D-49) and Sara Jacobs (D-51), reintroduced legislation that would affirm federal protections for Trans and Nonbinary people, aptly named “the Transgender Bill of Rights.” Rep. Jayapal is also co-chair of the Transgender Equality Task Force and has a Trans child. 

The bill, first introduced by Rep. Jayapal and Sen Markey in March 2023, would seek to codify the federal government’s role in ensuring that Trans and Nonbinary Americans have equal access to housing, employment, education, and medical care, among other essential services. 

In a recent statement released by Sen. Markey’s office, the bill is summarized as “a comprehensive framework to protect trans and nonbinary Americans from discrimination on the basis of gender identity or expression.” The bill states that “the Federal Government has a duty to protect the rights of transgender and nonbinary people.” 

In a joint press conference Wednesday morning, Rep. Jayapal stood outside alongside Sen. Markey and Rep. Jacobs with their supporters to speak on the difficulties Trans and Nonbinary Americans continue to face under the Trump presidency. 

“We have seen so much horror, from hateful language at the highest levels of our government to discriminatory legislation popping up in states across the country, and that means that too often, when we discuss Trans rights, we’re on the defensive,” she keenly pointed out. 

“This bill supports amending the [1964 Civil Rights Act],” she explained, “to ensure Trans people have the same rights and protections as all other Americans. It creates a level playing field where Trans people no longer have to fight tooth and nail to get the same treatment as their cisgender friends.”

During the press conference, Rep. Jayapal also quoted her Trans daughter, who said of people that attack Trans rights, “[They] are just jealous of the freedom that [Trans people] have taken to be fully who they are. Those people just want to destroy that, rather than imagine what it would be like to be fully who they are.” 

Sen. Markey, sporting a Trans flag–colored tie and heart-shaped pin, said of the timing of the bill’s reintroduction, “It is absolutely at this time necessary for us to do this.” He thanked members of the ACLU and Advocates for Trans Equality (A4TE) in attendance for their work.

“We need to say it loud enough for every American to hear: that Trans rights are human rights, and they must be protected every single day of every single year,” he proclaimed.

“We are here today to ensure that every Trans and gender-diverse person in America can live freely and safely and authentically,” he added. “That’s what the Transgender Bill of Rights is all about.”