To: Congress
Fund the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum NOW!
Republicans in Congress are refusing to fund the first ever national museum dedicated to women’s history. The museum has bipartisan approval in 2020, but Congress refused funding this year due to the museum’s inclusion of trans women. Trump has also demanded unregulated control and oversight over the museum’s location and content—causing grave concerns about government censorship.
It is critical that Americans have access to education and history about how women from diverse backgrounds have shaped this country. The Trump administration is weaponizing their hateful agenda in order to strip the museum’s funding and derail the entire project.
Republicans in Congress must stop playing political games and fund the original proposal for the Smithsonian Women’s History Museum, free from government control and censorship!
Why is this important?
The Smithsonian Women’s History Museum has been more than 20 years in the making, and it was established to showcase the range of experiences, contributions, and struggles of women in the United States. It was finally approved in 2020, but Republicans have stalled progress by refusing to fund its construction.
And why? Because it dared include significant historical trans women, like Lynn Conway, an American computer scientist, Rachel Levine, former assistant secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, and Emmy-winning star Laverne Cox.
Trans people have always existed and have contributed to our nation’s history since day one. But Trump is determined to erase trans women from history and block this important museum that women have been championing for over decades.
It’s not just freedom of expression and art that Trump is attacking—it’s our history. Trump has stripped the names of historical figures from federal websites and removed historical information posted in national parks.
Our government should not be controlling and limiting what art and history Americans have access to—but that’s exactly what the Trump administration is attempting to do.
Our democracy thrives when we have access to art and history that reflects the diversity of groups that make up our nation. And democracy erodes when presidents and elected leaders abuse their power to use federal institutions as their own shrines for propaganda.
The Democratic Women’s Caucus said it best: “A museum about women, fought for and supported by women, should not be controlled by one man.”
Add your name to the petition to demand Congress approve the original proposal and allow the Smithsonian Women’s History Museum to move forward!