California Democrats have approved a bill requiring teachers to undergo gender ideology training.

California Democrats Pass​ Bill to Enhance School Training

California Democrats on Monday passed a bill to​ require public middle and high school teachers to undergo annual training ‍on important issues. This includes how to identify kids whose parents may‍ not accept their new gender identities ⁢and why gender-confused⁢ kids should ⁤be⁣ able to use opposite-sex locker rooms and bathrooms.

The legislation would make mandatory a state-commissioned course already being written by Los Angeles County’s education agency and under the‌ advisory‍ auspices of powerful nonprofits that have been at the ⁣forefront in pushing gender ideology in schools, including the⁣ Equality California Institute, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, and The⁣ Trevor​ Project. The⁢ bill now⁣ heads to Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk.

The training‌ would further entrench in California ‌schools some core⁣ tenets of gender ideology that some experts say ‍are ⁤ potentially harmful. It ⁤comes as a handful of school ⁢districts ⁤in the state have rejected ⁤California’s guidance that teachers and administrators should help kids adopt‌ a different gender identity behind their parents’ backs.

“Safe and supportive​ learning environments” should identify “LGBTQ+ youth who are subject to, or may be at risk of, bullying and lack of acceptance at home or in⁣ their⁣ communities,” according to the bill text. Teachers are instructed to give those individuals “targeted⁤ support services” such as counseling, and maintaining their privacy—the state’s rationale for advising schools to transition kids to a new identity without telling their parents.

The bill dovetails with ⁢a separate proposal, also on Newsom’s desk, that would require schools to adopt curriculum promoting gender ideology, said Nicole Pearson, a Southern California lawyer who advocated against the⁣ bill.

“One hits the schools and the books, and the other hits the teachers,” Pearson said. “It trains them ⁤how to speak to students and​ families, use the curriculum that⁤ will be mandated‍ by the state, and how to support gender transition plans.”

The training itself was‌ commissioned by the legislature in‌ 2019⁤ as part of Equality California’s “Safe and Supportive Schools” project. ⁢The state has already earmarked $2.4 million for the training, and an additional $7.8⁤ million per year to educate teachers, according to a legislative analysis.