Under the new law, schools do not have to tell parents if their children experience gender dysphoria or begin the process of transitioning
The California Senate voted in favour of a ban on school districts notifying parents if their children undergo a “social” gender transition at school. Schools would only be able to notify parents with a child’s permission.
Assembly Bill 1955 passed the Senate with 29 votes to eight and will be sent back to the Assembly for final approval of amendments.
The bill was introduced in the wake of school-board policies that make it mandatory in some California schools to notify parents or guardians if a student undergoes a so-called “social” gender transition at school. A social transition is when a student publicly decides they are a different gender, and have their choice “affirmed” by teachers and students.
The new bill puts into law guidance from California’s Department of Education, which states that “schools must consult with a transgender student to determine who can or will be informed of the student’s transgender status, if anyone, including the student’s family.”
Democrat supporters of the bill, such as Senator Susan Eggman, say that the bill means schools will provide a “supportive environment where [students] can figure out who they are.”
“That is one of the major developmental tasks that every single one of us has to do—is to begin to separate from our family of origin as we go out into the world and find our people,” Senator Eggman said.
“All this does basically is say [to] schools, it’s not your job to be the gender police. We don’t want those policies. We want everybody to be safe and affirm.”
Opponents of the bill believe parents should be informed about all significant events in their children’s development, especially if they experience gender dysphoria or begin the process of transitioning.
They also believe it sets a dangerous precedent for the state to interfere in families and potentially break them up. In recent months there has been renewed focus on the Montana parents who lost custody of their 14-year-old child for opposing her gender transition. They have filed a lawsuit against Montana’s child protective services, alleging their religious freedoms and civil rights were violated.
Republican Assemblyman Jim Patterson (Fresno) said the state should not “put up a wall” between children and their parents.
“The state does not own our children,” he added.
Bill 1955 has been described by other opponents as “unconstitutional, morally corrupt” and “an embarrassment for our state.”
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