On Tuesday Feb. 24, House Representative Mary Miller (R-IL) introduced House Resolution 7661, also known as “Stop the Sexualization of Children Act.” The resolution seeks to amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, which allowed public schools to use federal aid for the education of disadvantaged children.
Known as the “Stop the Sexualization of Children Act” the bill’s purpose is “to prohibit the use of funds provided under such Act 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 defines “sexual oriented material” as anything that includes “any depiction, description or simulation of sexually explicit conduction” and “involves gender dysphoria or transgenderism.”
H.R. 7661 explains that, “standard science coursework, including biology, botany, zoology, microbiology, cytology, genetics, ecology, human health, or human anatomy and physiology; the texts of major world religions; classic works of literature; or classic works of art,” will not be affected by the bill.
If passed, H.R. 1776 could halt public schools from stocking or teaching literature that mentions LGBTQ+ people. Federal-funding would also end for sex education programs, clubs and support groups.
Book bans are not new. According to PEN America, a non-profit that raises awareness of book censorship, the modern era banning of books started in 2020 “with politicians threatening to defund schools.” PEN has documented nearly 23,000 book bans since 2021. In 2023 PEN noticed that 4,218 books were banned in public schools; out of those, 29 percent had LGBTQ+ content and 28 percent of those books specifically contained transgender characters.
“When we strip library shelves of books about particular groups, we defeat the purpose of a library collection that is supposed to reflect the lives of all people,” said PEN senior manager Sabrina Batêta. “The damaging consequences to young people are real.”
In 2023, North Carolina introduced Senate Bill 49 (S.B. 49), also known as the “Parents’ Bill of Rights.” Similar to H.B. 7661, the purpose of S.B. 49 was to censor LGBTQ+ students and queer curricula by prohibiting the discussion of gender identity, sexual activity or sexuality, but only in kindergarten through fourth grade. It also enforced a process that allowed parents to inspect and review all textbooks and required teachers to “forcibly out” their students to parents. This section applies to all students, aged 18 and under.
The bill was initially vetoed by Governor Roy Cooper. The veto, however, was overturned, and the “Parents Bill of Rights” remains North Carolina law today.
On an up note as of this writing, according to the website govtrack.us, House Resolution 7661 currently has only a one percent chance of becoming a law.
Despite H.R. 7661’s lack of viability, the American Library Association sees the resolution as enough of a threat that it issued a public denouncement.
“H.R. 7661 isn’t fundamentally about protecting kids,” said American Library Association President Sam Helmick. “It’s about giving politicians broad authority to restrict whose stories are allowed on our shelves. That should concern anyone who believes in the freedom to read and the right of families to make decisions for themselves.”