The California legislature passed a bill Friday that would threaten parents with losing custody of their children if they question their child’s supposed desire to undergo disfiguring hormone regimens or surgeries to appear more like the opposite sex.
Assembly Bill 957 was initially proposed to require courts to consider whether parents were “affirming” a child’s identification as transgender in custody cases. The legislation was later amended in June to declare parents who aren’t deemed sufficiently “affirming” liable for child abuse.
Republican state Sen. Scott Wilk bluntly recommended parents “flee” the state over the amendment.
“In the past when we’ve had these discussions and I’ve seen parental rights atrophy, I’ve encouraged people to keep fighting,” Wilk said in June. “I’ve changed my mind on that,” Wilk added. “If you love your children, you need to flee California. You need to flee.”
Wilk said he would leave the state himself at the end of his term.
Washington Free Beacon California Correspondent Susannah Luthi Taylor highlighted the law’s ambiguous language, opening the door to broad interpretation.
“The California bill does not define ‘affirmation,’ leaving it unclear if a parent would be required to support a child’s desire to socially transition or receive medical sex-change treatments,” Taylor wrote. “Nor does the bill make distinctions based on a child’s age or mental health record.”
The legislation is now headed to the desk of Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is expected to sign it.
California’s latest law on transgenderism follows a cascade of government-led assaults on parents’ rights to raise their children, including the right to challenge a child’s desire to pretend to be the opposite sex.
In August, California Democrat Attorney General Rob Bonta sued the Chino Valley Unified School District over new rules compelling teachers and administrators to notify parents of changes in pronoun use, sports participation, or bathroom assignments.
A local judge in San Bernadino temporarily suspended the district’s new policy last week while litigation remains underway. The next hearing is scheduled for Oct. 13.
“San Bernardino Superior Court’s decision to issue a temporary restraining order rightfully upholds the state rights of our LGBTQ+ student community and protects kids from harm by immediately halting the board’s forced outing policy,” said the attorney general. “While this fight is far from over, today’s ruling takes a significant step towards ensuring the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of transgender and gender-nonconforming students.”
Last fall, Gov. Newsom also signed a bill to strip the parental rights of out-of-state minors who seek transgender medical procedures in the state. In another assault on parental rights, the new law mandates that doctors hide children’s medical information related to “gender identity” from parents.
Contrary to Democrat claims of protecting children, multiple studies show easing access to adolescent medical interventions in pursuit of transgenderism increases the risk of suicide.
The national suicide hotline is 1-800-273-8255. More resources are here.
