Us Congress 2025-2026 Regular Session

Us Congress Senate Bill SR168 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	III
2	2	119THCONGRESS
3	3	1
4	4	STSESSION S. RES. 168
5	5	Supporting the goals and ideals of the Rise Up for LGBTQI+ Youth in
6	6	Schools Initiative, a call to action to communities across the United
7	7	States to demand equal educational opportunity, basic civil rights protec-
8	8	tions, and freedom from erasure for all students, particularly LGBTQI+
9	9	young people, in K–12 schools.
10	10	IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
11	11	APRIL9, 2025
12	12	Mr. S
13	13	CHATZ(for himself, Mr. MARKEY, Mr. DURBIN, Mr. MERKLEY, Mr.
14	14	B
15	15	OOKER, Mr. PADILLA, Ms. WARREN, Mr. BLUMENTHAL, and Mr.
16	16	W
17	17	YDEN) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the
18	18	Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
19	19	RESOLUTION
20	20	Supporting the goals and ideals of the Rise Up for
21	21	LGBTQI+ Youth in Schools Initiative, a call to action
22	22	to communities across the United States to demand
23	23	equal educational opportunity, basic civil rights protec-
24	24	tions, and freedom from erasure for all students, particu-
25	25	larly LGBTQI+ young people, in K–12 schools.
26	26	Whereas young people, teachers, school staff, families, and
27	27	communities must be free from transphobia, homophobia,
28	28	racism, sexism, and ableism in K–12 schools;
29	29	Whereas K–12 schools must be safe and inclusive learning
30	30	environments that include and affirm LGBTQI+ young
31	31	people, especially those who are transgender, nonbinary,
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34	34	•SRES 168 IS
35	35	intersex, Black, Indigenous, people of color, and people
36	36	with disabilities and those who are from communities
37	37	that experience marginalization;
38	38	Whereas, for more than 2 decades, Congress has supported
39	39	a resolution for a National Day of Silence, and, for a dec-
40	40	ade, Congress has supported a resolution for No Name-
41	41	Calling Week;
42	42	Whereas advocates have designated 2025 to 2026 as a time
43	43	for communities to support the Rise Up for LGBTQI+
44	44	Youth in Schools Initiative in support of LGBTQI+
45	45	young people in schools by building on the goals of Na-
46	46	tional Day of (No) Silence and No Name-Calling Week
47	47	to create a sustained call to action to demand equal edu-
48	48	cational opportunities, basic civil rights protections, and
49	49	freedom from erasure for all students;
50	50	Whereas LGBTQI+ young people frequently experience bias-
51	51	based bullying and harassment, discrimination, and puni-
52	52	tive discipline that increases the likelihood they will enter
53	53	the school-to-prison pipeline;
54	54	Whereas over 200 anti-LGBTQI+ education bills have been
55	55	introduced each year in State legislatures across the
56	56	United States, the majority of which specifically target
57	57	transgender and nonbinary young people, including—
58	58	(1) in the 26 States that have enacted policies be-
59	59	tween 2021 and 2025 that prohibit transgender students
60	60	from playing alongside their peers on school sports
61	61	teams; and
62	62	(2) in the 17 States that have enacted laws between
63	63	2021 and 2025 that prevent transgender students from
64	64	using the school bathroom or locker room that cor-
65	65	responds with their gender identity;
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68	68	•SRES 168 IS
69	69	Whereas the GLSEN 2021 National School Climate Survey
70	70	found that LGBTQI+ students who experienced dis-
71	71	crimination on the basis of their LGBTQI+ identity at
72	72	school in the past year, including being prevented from
73	73	using the restroom that aligned with their gender identity
74	74	and being barred from playing on the school sports team
75	75	that aligned with their gender identity, were nearly 3
76	76	times as likely to have missed school in the past month,
77	77	had lower grade point averages, reported lower feelings of
78	78	school belonging, and had higher levels of depression
79	79	compared to LGBTQI+ students who had not experi-
80	80	enced similar discrimination;
81	81	Whereas LGBTQI+ young people are more likely than their
82	82	non-LGBTQI+ peers to experience mental health con-
83	83	cerns, including stress, anxiety, and depression;
84	84	Whereas nearly half of LGBTQI+ young people seriously
85	85	considered suicide in the last year, a trend that increases
86	86	among Indigenous, Black, and multiracial LGBTQI+
87	87	young people;
88	88	Whereas the GLSEN 2021 National School Climate Survey
89	89	found that, among LGBTQI+ students who said that
90	90	they were considering dropping out of school, 31.4 per-
91	91	cent indicated that they were doing so because of the hos-
92	92	tile climate created by gendered school policies and prac-
93	93	tices;
94	94	Whereas States have passed or attempted to pass legislation
95	95	that erases or censors LGBTQI+ individuals, history,
96	96	and contributions from classroom literature and cur-
97	97	ricula, including—
98	98	(1) in the 9 States that enacted laws between 2022
99	99	and 2025 censoring instruction related to LGBTQI+
100	100	people; and
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103	103	•SRES 168 IS
104	104	(2) in the 8 States that enacted laws between 2021
105	105	and 2025 that treat instruction related to LGBTQI+ in-
106	106	dividuals in history, science, the arts, or any academic
107	107	class as a sensitive topic that requires parental notifica-
108	108	tion and allows parents to opt their child out of such in-
109	109	struction;
110	110	Whereas these laws harm students and force families to con-
111	111	sider leaving their homes, as demonstrated in a Williams
112	112	Institute report, which found that 56 percent of
113	113	LGBTQI+ parents of students in the State of Florida
114	114	considered moving out of the State, and 16.5 percent
115	115	have taken steps to move out of State because of the pas-
116	116	sage of the Parental Rights in Education Act by the
117	117	State in 2022;
118	118	Whereas States have gone farther by specifically targeting
119	119	transgender students and their families with policies that
120	120	attack mental health counseling and gender-affirming
121	121	care for transgender students, including the introduction
122	122	of at least 35 bills in 18 States since the beginning of
123	123	the 2025 legislative session that prohibit or create bar-
124	124	riers to the social affirmation of transgender and non-
125	125	binary students in schools, such as using the chosen
126	126	name and pronouns of a student, regardless of the risk
127	127	to the safety, health, and well-being of the student;
128	128	Whereas 86 percent of transgender and nonbinary young peo-
129	129	ple say that recent debates prompted by State legislation
130	130	restricting the rights of transgender individuals have neg-
131	131	atively impacted their mental health;
132	132	Whereas data provided by the Department of Justice shows
133	133	that there were a reported 247 anti-LGBTQ hate crimes
134	134	in schools in 2023;
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137	137	•SRES 168 IS
138	138	Whereas every young person must have equal educational op-
139	139	portunity and freedom from the fear that their basic civil
140	140	and educational rights will be taken away from them;
141	141	Whereas young people who develop in positive school cli-
142	142	mates, free from bullying, harassment, and discrimina-
143	143	tion, report greater physical and psychological safety,
144	144	greater mental well-being, and improved educational and
145	145	life outcomes;
146	146	Whereas positive school transformation must recognize that
147	147	safety is too low of a bar and that all communities de-
148	148	serve to be acknowledged and affirmed in schools;
149	149	Whereas students and families, educators, and community
150	150	members in every State and territory are advocating for
151	151	safe and inclusive learning environments that affirm
152	152	LGBTQI+ young people, particularly those who are
153	153	transgender, nonbinary, intersex, Black, Indigenous, peo-
154	154	ple of color, and people with disabilities;
155	155	Whereas affirming policies such as enumerated anti-bullying
156	156	protections, gender neutral dress code guidelines, and in-
157	157	clusive learning practices are proven strategies to address
158	158	hostile learning environments for all students; and
159	159	Whereas we must all demand the best possible future for all
160	160	young people in schools, particularly those who identify
161	161	as LGBTQI+, without exception: Now, therefore, be it
162	162	Resolved, That the Senate— 1
163	163	(1) supports the goals and ideals of the Rise Up 2
164	164	for LGBTQI+ Youth in Schools Initiative in de-3
165	165	manding the best possible future for all young peo-4
166	166	ple in schools, particularly those who identify as 5
167	167	LGBTQI+; 6
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170	170	•SRES 168 IS
171	171	(2) recognizes the contributions of students and 1
172	172	families, educators, and community members who 2
173	173	participate in the National Day of (No) Silence, to 3
174	174	draw attention to the bullying, harassment, assault, 4
175	175	and discrimination faced by LGBTQI+ students; 5
176	176	and 6
177	177	(3) encourages each State, territory, and local-7
178	178	ity to support the Rise Up for LGBTQI+ Youth in 8
179	179	Schools Initiative and adopt laws and policies that 9
180	180	prohibit bias-based victimization, exclusion, and era-10
181	181	sure. 11
182	182	Æ
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