WASHINGTON, DC - Congressman Andy Ogles (TN-05), joined by Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), introduced the Safeguarding Honest Speech Act, which would prevent federal departments and agencies from forcing employees and contractors to use an individual’s ‘preferred pronouns.’ This bill comes after the Biden Administration’s Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced a new mandate that made failure to use ‘preferred pronouns’ a fireable offense for employees.
Rep. Ogles said, “Compelled speech has no place in America. Can you imagine getting reprimanded or fired from your job for not using an individual’s ‘preferred pronouns’? Unfortunately, that is exactly what the Biden regime has imposed in its latest guidance from the Department of Health and Human Services. The radical Left is actively coercing the speech of individuals – all in service of a delusional woke agenda. The American people shouldn’t be asked by their government to subsidize violations of the Constitution of the United States. I’m grateful for Senator Cruz’s efforts to lead the fight in the Senate, and look forward to considering this legislation in the 118th Congress.”
Sen. Cruz stated, “I am proud to join Rep. Andy Ogles in introducing the Safeguarding Honest Speech Act. Forcing anyone to use pronouns that don’t accord with a person’s biological sex is an unconstitutional violation of the First Amendment. As the Supreme Court held, ‘If there is any fixed star in our constitutional constellation, it is that no official, high or petty, can prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion, or other matters of opinion.’ The government has no business compelling anyone to use pronouns that contradict biological reality.”
Rep. Boebert said, “In a society built on freedom and expression, it's concerning to see government agencies like the Department of Health and Human Services imposing radical gender ideologies, with potential disciplinary action for not conforming to preferred pronouns. This goes against our democratic values; forced speech has no place in our Country. Kudos to Rep. Ogles for defending free speech in the workplace against the pressures of the 'woke' mob.’’
Rep. Biggs stated, “Wokeness continues to infiltrate the Biden Administration. Mandating radical gender terminology for federal employees is asinine. The Biden Administration’s agencies should be prioritizing department readiness before anything else. I’m grateful to co-sponsor Congressman Ogles’s latest legislation that helps end this madness.”
Rep. Gosar said, “Our nation is already faced with woke, left-wing propaganda rewarding one person over another simply for holding preferred pronouns that may not align with their biological sex. Rather than furthering a division amongst the American people, the federal government has far greater problems to address than mandating using preferred pronouns as a condition of employment.”
Rep. LaMalfa stated, “Free speech doesn’t mean forcing an individual’s delusions down everyone’s throats. An employee shouldn’t have to worry about being fired for referring to their colleague by their correct, biological sex pronoun, and it's comical that legislators need to protect the right for an individual to say the truth: that boys are boys and girls are girls.”
Rep. Duncan said, “No one should be forced to affirm the ludicrous belief that an individual can change their gender. The First Amendment protects truthful speech from being infringed or curtailed. I’m proud to stand with Representative Ogles to ensure citizens are not forced to deny science that people are born either male or female and that you remain that gender for life.”
Cosponsors: Reps. Lauren Boebert [CO-03], Jeff Duncan [SC-03], Doug LaMalfa [CA-01], Mary Miller [IL-15], Andy Biggs [AZ-05], Andy Harris [MD-01], Paul Gosar [AZ-09], Randy Weber [TX-14], Eli Crane [AZ-02], Ralph Norman [SC-05], Andrew Clyde [GA-09], Clay Higgins [LA-03].
Supporting Groups: CatholicVote and Concerned Women for America.
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This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://ogles.house.gov/media/press-releases/icymi-ogles-cruz-lead-effort-block-bidens-woke-preferred-pronoun-mandate