New Bill Seeks to Ban LGBTQ+ Books from Public Schools Nationwide

The bill aims to prohibit federal funding from being used for any books or programs that involve ‘gender dysphoria or transgenderism’ in any public school

By Shyla Watson, Published on February 26, 2026 03:43PM EST

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NEED TO KNOW

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• A new bill proposes banning federal funds for LGBTQ+ books and materials in schools nationwide.
  
• The “Stop the Sexualization of Children Act” defines “sexually oriented material” to include content about “gender dysphoria or transgenderism”
• The bill also limits “classic works” in art and literature to specific pre-approved lists

LGBTQ+ books could be banned from public schools nationwide if a new bill passes.

On Tuesday, Feb. 24, House Representative Mary Miller (Ill.) introduced House Resolution 7661 (H.R. 7661), which would amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 and would ban the use of any federal funds “to develop, implement, facilitate, host or promote any program or activity for, or to provide or promote literature or other materials to, children under the age of 18 that includes sexually oriented material, and for other purposes.”

The bill, also known as the “Stop the Sexualization of Children Act,” defines “sexually oriented material” as anything that “includes any depiction, description or simulation of sexually explicit conduct” — or “involves gender dysphoria or transgenderism.”

If passed, the bill would prevent any public school from stocking or teaching LGBTQ+ literature or books that specifically mention trans people. It would also apply to some federally-funded sex education programs, clubs and support groups.

Last year, an analysis from PEN America, a nonprofit organization that raises awareness about book censorship in the United States, analyzed the 4,218 unique titles banned in the country’s public schools during the 2023-2024 school year and found that 29% of total banned titles during the school year featured LGBTQ+ people, characters or themes.

Additionally, 28% of banned titles about the LGBTQ+ community specifically featured transgender and/or genderqueer characters, with more than half of banned LGBTQ+ books featuring communities of color.

“This targeted censorship amounts to a harmful assault on historically marginalized and underrepresented populations — a dangerous effort to erase their stories, achievements and history from schools,” senior manager of PEN America’s Freedom to Read program Sabrina Baêta said at the time.

Continue/Read Original Article: https://people.com/new-bill-seeks-to-ban-lgbtq-books-from-schools-nationwide-11915398