Ted Lieu: “Tomorrow, Congress is going to vote on a bill that would ban some transgender kids from participating in sports. To be…”

“Tomorrow, Congress is going to vote on a bill that would ban some transgender kids from participating in sports. To be honest, I haven't thought about this issue very much. I don't actually know any transgender students. I think many of you may not have thought of this issue either. You have busy lives. If you still have an open mind on this, I would like to read to you part of a letter that the Republican Governor of Utah wrote. This letter is the veto message of Governor Spencer Cox of Utah where he vetoed a similar State bill regarding transgender kids. He writes: ``I must admit I am not an expert on transgenderism. I struggle to understand so much of it, and the science is conflicting. When in doubt, however, I always try to err on the side of kindness, mercy and compassion.'' It goes on to say: ``Here are the numbers that have most impacted my decision: 75,000, 4, 1, 86, and 56.'' What does he mean by those numbers? Well, this is what he writes: ``75,000 high school kids participating in high school sports in Utah. ``Four transgender kids playing high school sports in Utah. ``One transgender student playing girls' sports. ``86 percent of trans youth reporting suicidality. ``56 percent of trans youth having attempted suicide.'' He goes on to write: ``Four kids and only one of them playing girls' sports. That's what all of this is about. Four kids who aren't dominating or winning trophies or taking scholarships.…”