These 8 Democrats voted for the Republican national ‘Don’t Say Trans’ bill passed by the House

Update: Virginia Democrat who praised LGBTQ+ inclusion is now helping Republicans out trans kids

Republicans in the House of Representatives passed a bill Wednesday with the help of eight Democrats that, if approved by the Senate and signed into law by President Donald Trump, would force teachers across the country to out transgender kids to their parents. It would also ban schools nationwide from acknowledging that transgender people even exist.

The “Stopping Indoctrination and Protecting Kids Act,” also known as H.R. 2616, passed by a vote of 217 to 198. All 209 Republicans who voted supported the measure, joined by eight Democrats. Meanwhile, 198 Democrats voted against the bill.

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Here are the names of the eight Democrats who voted for what the House Equality Caucus condemned as the "Don't Say Trans" bill:

• Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas
• Rep. Don Davis of North Carolina
• Rep. Cleo Fields of Louisiana
• Rep. Laura Gillen of New York
• Rep. Vicente González of Texas
• Rep. Marcy Kaptur of Ohio
• Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington
• Rep. Eugene Vindman of Virginia

Vindman’s vote drew particular scrutiny from LGBTQ+ advocates because he previously spoke publicly about the importance of LGBTQ+ inclusion and acceptance before siding with Republicans on legislation critics say would forcibly out transgender students and erase trans identity from schools.

The text of H.R. 2616 says it would prohibit any school that receives federal funding from teaching “concepts related to gender ideology.” LGBTQ+ advocates warn the legislation could effectively bar teachers and school staff from acknowledging transgender identities in classrooms, libraries, or student support settings. Earlier versions and related House proposals also explicitly categorized material involving “gender dysphoria or transgenderism” as inherently “sexual,” language critics argued, which treated the mere existence of trans people as inappropriate for children. It could also forcibly out students who are transgender to their families before they feel ready, or even safe, doing so.

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“Every child in this country deserves the same opportunity to thrive as their peers, and that includes transgender students,” said Mike Zamore, National Director for Policy & Government Affairs for the American Civil Liberties Union, in a statement posted online. “Instead of strengthening that basic promise for all students, a narrow majority of the House opted to single out and endanger some of the most vulnerable youth in our schools today. This bill doesn’t create a safe learning environment for anyone—quite the opposite—but it does inject politics into every classroom across the country, which harms education for all students. Censorship and discrimination have no place in our schools, and we call on the Senate to reject this bill.”

Gay California Democratic chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus, Rep. Mark Takano, issued a blistering statement after the bill's passage.

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“Republicans claim to be the party of small government, but they have no problem bringing the full force of the federal government down against children. The GOP thinks they can legislate transgender people out of existence with this inhumane 'Don’t Say Trans' bill, but all they’re doing is making life worse for a small minority of already-vulnerable children,” Takano said in a statement posted online. “I spent 24 years as an educator where I worked with hundreds of high school students and their parents."

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Takano continued, “Most children go to their parents when they need help or are struggling—including transgender children—but not all parents are accepting. The forced outing provision of this bill puts teachers in an impossible situation by requiring them to out trans kids to their parents in certain situations—even if the teacher knows the student will likely face physical abuse. Students like these are who Republicans want to put in immediate physical danger with this bill.”