Pramila Jayapal brings 'Trans Bill of Rights' to Congress as Wash state fights to protect women's sports

“Squad” member Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D–WA) is once again proposing federal protections for transgender Americans, even as voters in her own state are advancing a ballot initiative aimed at restricting biological males from competing in girls’ sports.

On Tuesday, Senator Edward J. Markey (D–MA) and Jayapal reintroduced what they call the Transgender Bill of Rights, a congressional resolution first unveiled in 2023. The measure lays out a broad federal framework intended to protect transgender and nonbinary Americans from discrimination and ensure access to medical care, housing, and public accommodations.

Markey said the resolution reaffirms what he called a basic principle: "Trans rights are human rights." He argued that transgender and gender-diverse Americans should be able to live openly and safely without fear of discrimination or government interference.

Jayapal, who co-chairs the Congressional Transgender Equality Task Force, framed the resolution as a response to what she described as an escalating political campaign targeting transgender people nationwide. She claimed transgender Americans are increasingly being used as scapegoats and that Congress has a responsibility to defend their rights and send a clear message that “trans lives matter.”

The resolution is supported by many Democratic lawmakers, as well as national advocacy groups that claim recent policies restricting sex-change surgeries or keeping men from competing in women’s sports have created fear and hostility among transgender youth. But while Jayapal pushes for expanded federal recognition and protections, her home state of Washington is seeing significant grassroots pushback to her policies.

Earlier this year, the Washington Secretary of State confirmed that Initiative IL26-638, backed by Let’s Go Washington, gathered enough verified signatures to move forward. The initiative seeks to protect fairness in girls’ sports by limiting participation in female athletic competitions to biological females. The measure was submitted with more than 445,000 signatures and cleared verification with an 86 percent validity rate, well above the minimum required.

Let’s Go Washington founder Brian Heywood thanked “the young women who stood up and spoke out about biological boys taking your places on your teams and invading your safe spaces,” calling the verification a major win for girls’ sports advocates. The initiative is now in the Washington Legislature, where Democratic lawmakers are refusing to hold hearings on it, passing it on to voters in November.