A 2-minute action you can take right now to protect your family’s freedom.
What’s happening?
A bill called HR 7661 — the “Stop the Sexualization of Children Act” — is moving through Congress right now. It passed out of the House Education Committee on March 17, 2026, by a vote of 18–13 and is now headed to a full House vote.
Here’s what it would do: strip federal funding from any school or library that provides materials Congress deems “sexually oriented” to anyone under 18.
That might sound reasonable at first glance. But the bill’s language is so broad and vague that it could sweep up far more than most parents realize.
What could actually get pulled from shelves?
The bill defines “sexually oriented material” in terms wide enough to potentially cover:
- Health and puberty books — the ones that help kids understand their own bodies
- Books featuring LGBTQ+ characters — even those with no sexual content at all
- Stories about racism, abuse, and survival — the kind that help kids process hard realities
- Age-appropriate sex education materials — used in health classes nationwide
The bill does include narrow exceptions for “standard science,” religious texts, and “classic art,” but critics — including the American Library Association (ALA), school librarians, and anti-censorship organizations — say those carve-outs are far too narrow and subjective to protect the books families actually rely on.
When federal funding is on the line, schools and libraries won’t wait for a clear list. They’ll pull anything that might get flagged. The result isn’t safer kids — it’s emptier shelves.
Wait — don’t parents already have the right to manage what their kids read?
Yes. You already have that right. You can:
- Talk to your child’s teacher or librarian about what’s available
- Review reading lists and library catalogs
- Decide a book isn’t right for your kid yet
- Have conversations at home about what your family values
That’s parenting. That’s your job. And no one is trying to take it away.
What HR 7661 does is something different: it lets a small group of politicians in Washington make that decision for every family in America — including yours. It replaces your judgment with theirs.
As ALA President Sam Helmick put it, “Parents, not politicians, should guide their children’s reading.”
We couldn’t agree more.
This isn’t left vs. right. It’s about freedom.
You don’t have to agree with every book on every shelf to believe that the government shouldn’t be the one deciding what your kid can and can’t read.
Whether you’re conservative, progressive, or somewhere in between — if you believe parenting decisions belong to parents, this bill should concern you.
Here’s what you can do right now (it takes 2 minutes)
Step 1: Find your U.S. Representative
👉 Look up your representative on House.gov
Just enter your zip code. You’ll get your rep’s name, phone number, and contact form.
Step 2: Call or email them using this script
You can customize this however you want, but here’s a starting point:
Sample phone script (30 seconds):
“Hi, my name is [YOUR NAME] and I’m a parent and constituent from [YOUR CITY/ZIP CODE]. I’m calling to ask [REPRESENTATIVE’S NAME] to vote NO on HR 7661, the so-called ‘Stop the Sexualization of Children Act.’
As a parent, I take responsibility for what my kids read — and I don’t need Congress making that decision for my family. This bill’s language is so vague it could strip funding from schools and libraries for keeping health books, award-winning novels, and age-appropriate educational materials on the shelves.
I’m asking the Representative to protect parental freedom and vote no. Thank you.”
Tips for calling:
- You’ll likely speak to a staffer — that’s normal and your message still counts
- Be polite and brief — they’re tallying constituent opinions
- If you get voicemail, leave the same message — it’s still logged
- Calls carry more weight than emails, but both matter
Step 3: Share this with another parent
The more parents who speak up, the harder this bill is to ignore. Send this page to a friend, share our Instagram post, or just have the conversation at pickup.
The bottom line
Pulling books off shelves doesn’t make kids safer. It just makes sure they learn about the real world somewhere other than a book — probably somewhere you have a lot less control over.
Your kid’s bookshelf is family business. Let’s keep it that way.
#ParentsAct
