On Friday, as congressional leaders rushed to pass a reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), a coalition of tech, LGBTQ, and civil society groups voiced opposition to including the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) in the must-pass legislation. 

In a letter to Senate leaders, the groups voiced concerns that the legislation would give enormous powers to state attorneys general with a history of radical anti-LGBTQ policymaking, ultimately eliminating access to resources and communities for vulnerable Americans.

The letter was signed by Chamber of Progress, Equality New Mexico, Freedom Oklahoma, LGBT Tech, TransOhio, and the Woodhull Freedom Foundation. Read a copy of the letter here.

The coalition writes:

“We, the undersigned organizations, share the goal of creating safer spaces for minors online. However, KOSA fails to achieve that goal, and reshaping speech, content moderation, and the digital world for teens is a complex issue that deserves its own debate in Congress. With the FAA reauthorization deadline approaching, we urge you to exclude KOSA as non-germane from legislation brought to the floor.”

In its letter, the coalition highlighted that the state attorneys general KOSA would empower to hold platforms liable for “harmful” content have in many cases characterized LGBTQ content and content exploring racism as harmful. The letter quotes the bill’s lead sponsor, Senator Marsha Blackburn, who has applauded KOSA’s anti-LGBTQ impact.

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Chamber of Progress (progresschamber.org) is a center-left tech industry policy coalition promoting technology’s progressive future.  We work to ensure that all Americans benefit from technological leaps, and that the tech industry operates responsibly and fairly.  

Our corporate partners do not have a vote on or veto over our positions. We do not speak for individual partner companies and remain true to our stated principles even when our partners disagree.