Gavin Newsom confronts transgender bills impacting parental rights.
California Legislature Advances Bills to Hide Child Transgender Identity from Parents
The California legislature has recently taken significant steps to institutionalize the concealment of child transgender identity from parents. A series of bills, which have passed through one or both houses of the Golden State legislature, aim to hide childhood proclamations of transgender identity from parents and impose penalties on them for not “affirming” their child through social and medical interventions.
Parental Role and Affirmation
“Is it the role of parents to affirm children? Or is it their role to guide and shape them into becoming good, honest, and healthy people? Since when do children know what’s best for them?” questioned American Principles Project President Terry Schilling. He emphasized that parents should correct their children when they are wrong, including situations where a child claims to be a different gender. Schilling believes that parents should not affirm this delusion, just as they would not affirm an underweight anorexic child as obese.
Four out of five bills have already passed both legislative chambers and are now awaiting the governor’s signature. The remaining bill has passed the Senate and is pending approval at the State Assembly.
Child Abuse and Custody
The most recent bill, AB-957, passed with overwhelming support in both chambers. It deems it “child abuse” to disagree with a child’s stated gender identity. Additionally, the bill introduces the possibility of a parent losing custody of their child if they do not affirm the child’s gender transition. Judges will be required to consider a parent’s commitment to the child’s transition when assessing the overall well-being of the child.
State Representative Lori Wilson emphasized that parents should affirm their children, especially when their gender identity aligns with their biological gender. However, critics argue that if the bill becomes law, parents who disagree with their child seeking social transitioning or gender transition procedures could face child abuse charges and potentially lose custody of their child.
Doctors and Minors’ Consent
Another bill, AB-655, allows minors to consent to “mental health services” without their parents’ knowledge or consent. The bill acknowledges that some children may face challenges in obtaining parental consent due to their parents’ beliefs or stigma surrounding mental health care. In such cases, doctors can determine if involving parents would be inappropriate.
Dr. Stanley Goldfarb, Chairman of Do No Harm, expressed concerns about the proposed laws, stating that they are more likely to harm children rather than protect them. He argued that the laws are based on a false speculation that gender transitions and medical interventions will benefit confused children, potentially causing them further harm.
Training Teachers and Identifying Parents
The Safe and Supportive Schools Act requires school teachers to undergo training to identify parents who may not agree with their child’s stated gender identity. The bill aims to create a curriculum in “cultural competency” to support LGBTQ+ youth. This training includes sections on identifying LGBTQ+ youth who may face bullying or lack of acceptance at home or in their communities. However, it remains unclear how teachers or school districts will handle the information once a parent has been identified.
Terry Schilling criticized what he sees as a threat to children posed by individuals in the education system who believe they know and love children more than their parents. He expressed concern about the potential damage caused by these individuals and called for their limited access to children.
Ensuring Access to Sexually Explicit Books
AB-1078 addresses the issue of sexually explicit materials in books available to children in schools. The bill ensures that access to such materials, which some parents have tried to restrict, is maintained. It argues that restricting access to these materials would constitute discrimination and censorship, violating California law and policy.
Foster Parents and Alignment with Transgender Ideology
SB-407, if passed, would require prospective foster parents in California to align their beliefs with transgender ideology. The law states that foster parents must demonstrate an ability and willingness to meet the needs of a child regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. It also emphasizes the importance of obtaining resources to address any difficulties related to these issues.
A similar law in Massachusetts has already faced legal challenges from Catholic parents who were barred from the foster system due to their unwillingness to pursue transgender medical interventions for a child.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta has filed a lawsuit against a school district that attempted to inform parents if their children began identifying with another gender at school.
As of now, there has been no comment from Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office regarding these bills.
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