George Santos wants to end aid to countries that hurt gay people. Trans people are not included.

Out Rep. George Santos (R-NY) has introduced a bill to ban the U.S. from providing aid to countries that discriminate based on sexual orientation, and he left transgender people out of the bill.

H.R. 1736 – the Equality & Fiscal Accountability Protection Act – was introduced by Santos late last month and currently doesn’t have any cosponsors. The bill’s text has not been posted, but its description on Congress’s website says that it will ban the U.S. government from providing “assistance to foreign countries that criminalize or discriminate based on sexual orientation.”

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There is no definition of “discriminate,” which might explain why none of his fellow Republicans are cosponsoring the bill: most Republicans support legalizing discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, especially if it’s religious employers, businesses, and nonprofit organizations doing the discriminating.

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In 2021, 206 Republican House members voted against the Equality Act, which would ban anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination in several areas of federal law, including employment, public accommodations, and education. Only three House Republicans voted for the bill.

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“Discrimination against both women and the LGBTQ community is unacceptable,” Santos said in a statement. “My bill will send a clear message that the United States will not offer federal aid to countries found to be violating the rights of individuals based on sexual orientation. We as a nation have a responsibility to stand up for the human rights of all people, regardless of race, religion, or sexual orientation.”

His statement, along with the bill’s description on Congress’s website, pointedly leaves out words like “transgender” and “gender identity and expression.” Transgender people are being targeted by hundreds of state laws this year, many of which seek to ban them from accessing gender-affirming health care, being referred to with the correct pronouns in school, and getting an equal education to their cisgender peers.

And Santos appears to support such legislation, citing “protecting our kids from indoctrination” and “girls sports” – expressions conservatives use to describe banning LGBTQ+ books from schools and banning transgender students from participating in school sports – as two of his priorities just yesterday.

I’m for protecting our:

Kids from indoctrination.
Tax payer dollars.
Cops.
Girls sports.
National Sovereignty.
Natural resources.
Energy independence.
Electoral system.
Military.
Education system.
Small businesses.
Farm lands.

Debate me on this.