Parental rights may further erode if Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom signs a new bill on gender ideology in public schools.
The bill, Assembly Bill 1955 — also known as the SAFETY Act — prohibits public schools from notifying parents if their child requests to use pronouns that conflict with the child’s sex or a name that differs from the name the child was given at birth. Students may also elect to use the bathrooms of the opposite sex and the school will not be obligated to tell parents.
During a press conference Wednesday morning, a reporter asked the governor about his plans for the bill, which is currently sitting on his desk.
“Well, I’ve got 60 bills, that’s one of them, and I’ll let you know very shortly and we’ll be reviewing that with my team and staff, the details of that bill,” Newsom said. “I’ve been following that, I’m well aware of the LGBTQ Caucus and their advocacy in that space. I haven’t read the details of the bill yet, as is the case, as you know well, all too well, I try to familiarize myself with the nuances and details before I opine publicly.”
The reporter pressed, pointing out that Newsom has long thought about this issue, but the governor deferred to the fact that the bill is currently pending.
“Parents have a right to know what their own minor children are doing at school — and school officials have no right to keep secrets from parents,” said Jacob Huebert, president of Liberty Justice Center, in a statement. “We will continue to stand with parents and the school districts that want to respect their rights — and we’ll continue to represent them free of charge, at no cost to taxpayers.”
The bill was pushed by the state legislature’s LGBTQ Caucus, along with Tony Thurmond, California state superintendent of public instruction.
“Policies that forcibly ‘out’ pupils without their consent remove opportunities for LGBTQ+ young people and their families to build trust and have these conversations when they are ready,” the bill reads.
AB 1955 passed in the state legislature by a vote of 60-15 and is awaiting a signature or veto from the governor.
Republican Assemblyman Jim Patterson spoke about the danger that a bill of this nature causes at a press conference with the California Family Council.
“In the nearly 12 years that I have been in the State Assembly, I have never seen an effort to damage the relationship between children and their parents like this one,” Patterson said.
Newsom has long championed LGBT causes. He signed nine bills in 2023 reinforcing issues such as “standards for all-gender restrooms in public and private K-12 schools” and “LGBTQ+ cultural competency training for public school teachers and staff,” many of which furthered efforts to push gender ideology in California schools.
Newsom, however, vetoed a bill requiring courts to consider a child’s “gender identity” in parental custody cases, specifically how said parent feels about their child’s identity.
The governor’s press office did not respond directly to questions from The Federalist but referred to Wednesday morning’s press conference. His Sacramento office noted it does not speak on behalf of the governor.
