Today, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) introduced the Empower Parents to Protect Their Kids Act, a bill that would prohibit K-12 schools that receive federal funds from facilitating “gender transitions” for children without their parents’ knowledge and permission. It would also forbid schools from coercing students and their parents to pursue “gender transitions.”

In response, Terry Schilling, president of American Principles Project (APP), released the following statement praising the bill:

“For years now, the woke left has been pursuing an insidious agenda in our public schools. First, they successfully convinced schools to adopt curricula which teach children that changing their sex is a normal, healthy and even praiseworthy endeavor. And then, they began pushing school districts to adopt policies which discourage or even prohibit school officials from notifying parents if their children decide to identify as a different sex in school.

“This anti-family effort, driving a wedge between parents and their children, is as frightening as it is reprehensible. Government institutions exist to promote and support families, not tear them apart. Parents love their children more than any government bureaucrat ever could, and it is abhorrent that any school would systematically exclude parents from significant healthcare decisions being made for their kids.

“We once again commend Senator Tom Cotton’s courageous leadership on behalf of families across the country in introducing this legislation which would re-empower parents when it comes to these issues. And we strongly urge his pro-family colleagues in Congress to support this bill.”

To schedule an engagement with American Principles Project, contact Paul Dupont at (o) 202-503-2010 or pdupont@americanprinciplesproject.org.