Erin ReedMar 19
1. Support for the new Smithsonian American Women's History Museum was bipartisan, with 200 cosponsors. Now, last minute, House Republicans passed an amendment that holds it hostage, saying it can't recognize trans women and Trump can choose the spot. Subscribe to support our journalism.

Republicans Hold Smithsonian A...
Republicans Hold Smithsonian American Women's History Museum Hostage Over Anti-Trans Demands

House Republicans added a poison pill to a previously bipartisan bill with demands that all trans women be barred from the American Women's History Museum.

Erin In The Morning
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2. On Wednesday, the House Administration Committee marked up H.R. 1329, a bipartisan bill with more than 200 cosponsors to clear a National Mall site for the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum, a 2020-approved project stalled for years in Congress. But then something happened.
Show threadErin ReedMar 19
3. Rep. Mary Miller gutted the bipartisan bill with an amendment barring trans women from museum exhibits and giving Trump unilateral power to pick the site. Democrats, horrified, then dropped support, and the revised bill passed the committee on a party-line vote.

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4. “The museum shall be dedicated to preserving, researching, and presenting the history, achievements, and lived experiences of biological women,” says the amendment. “The Museum may not identify, present, describe, or otherwise depict any biological male as female.”
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5. The bill would erase trans women from the museum entirely, excluding figures from Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson to computer pioneer Lynn Conway who made smartphones possible and even contemporary history-makers like Rep. Sarah McBride from any place in the nation’s story.

Trans Woman And Computer Pione...
Trans Woman And Computer Pioneer Lynn Conway Passed Away: Her Legacy Is Worth Knowing

If you are reading this on your mobile phone, you owe it to Lynn Conway, a transgender woman who pioneered the microchip technology that makes it possible. She passed away at age 86.

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6. "Rather than moving forward with a simple, bipartisan bill to authorize a location for the American Women's History Museum, Republicans couldn't resist poisoning the bill with an anti-trans rider and a provision giving Trump unilateral control over the building's location," said Rep. Mark Takano
Mar 19 at 3:03pmWeb
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7. "The Museum should highlight the experiences of all women, including transgender women. The original bill had nothing to do with the content of the museum until Republicans added this partisan rider. It's beyond disappointing to see years of hard, bipartisan work be flushed down the toilet."
Show threadErin ReedMar 19
8. This is not the first attack on the museum. In 2025, Trump ordered the Smithsonian to purge so-called “improper ideology,” specifically demanding the Women’s History Museum not “recognize men as women.” Miller’s amendment turns that order into potential law, if passed.

Restoring Truth and Sanity to ...
Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered: Section 1.  Purpose and

The White House
Show threadErin ReedMar 19
9. The amended bill now goes to the House floor, where its fate is unclear. Once bipartisan, it is now a party-line fight. Even if it passes, the Senate may hold it up. Meanwhile, the museum remains stalled, its future tied to a fight over trans history.
Show threadErin ReedMar 19
10. Lastly, EITM is an award-winning media outlet covering LGBTQ+ news every day. You can subcribe to support our journalism at www.erininthemorning.com/subscribe.

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News and discussion on trans legislation and life. Click to read Erin In The Morning, by Erin Reed, a Substack publication with hundreds of thousands of subscribers.