MD Advances Bill That Would Protect Trans Students In "Any Program Or Activity"

[Jessica_Rose ✅]

Maryland Advances Bill That Would Protect Trans Students In "Any Program Or Activity"

https://www.erininthemorning.com/p/maryland-advances-bill-that-would?fbclid=IwY2xjawQ7dHpleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFxWUI2N1U1SURzNmNaTkMxc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHi5nCVd0oBjwmwSqsCwNHEjukCSsTzb2WKdh8H6wu3umH0ryy-wwdUwIPVP1_aem_3Sv4BnJHjjU6EfCFna3OyQ 🔗

Erin Reed (2 April 2026)

During the Trump administration's time in power, transgender students have lost the ability to fight for their Title IX protections against schools that discriminate against them. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has greenlit the targeting of LGBTQ+ students repeatedly this term. Maryland, though, appears poised to push back with a new bill that is rapidly advancing through the state legislature. HB 649, which has already passed the House of Delegates 100-35, would significantly expand protections for transgender students across the state, giving them a private right of action to sue schools that discriminate against them in "any program or activity"—a phrase borrowed directly from Title IX that would explicitly protect participation in sports, admissions, and access to school facilities and programs statewide. The bill was heard in a Senate committee yesterday.

The bill states that "an educational institution may not exclude an individual from participation in, deny a person the benefits of, or subject an individual to discrimination within, any program or activity of the educational institution on the basis of race, color, national origin, ethnicity, ancestry, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, age, or marital status" (emphasis added). The language is significant and expansive: the bill defines "educational institution" to include both public and nonpublic prekindergarten programs, elementary schools, secondary schools, institutions of postsecondary education, institutions of higher education, and any other educational program leading to a certificate, diploma, or degree—covering virtually every school in the state from pre-K through college.