This week, California lawmakers passed a law that says parents will be punished if they don’t “affirm” their child’s gender identity.
Assembly Bill 957, also called the Gender-Diverse, Transgender, and Intersex Youth Empowerment Act, was passed by the California Assembly this past week by a vote of 57-16, with each party voting. The state senate voted 30-9 to approve the bill. The bill would say that “a parent’s approval of their child’s gender identity is an important part of the child’s health, security, and welfare.”
In the event that Governor Gavin Newsom (D) approves the measure, custody courts would have to take into account a parent’s “affirmation” of their kid’s gender in the same way that they already take the “health, security, and welfare of the child” into account.
As was written in the Daily Signal:
“Positive repercussions under the California Penal Code may arise from undermining the California Family Code’s requirements regarding the ‘health, security, and welfare’ of a child—leading advocates, legislators, and parents to conjecture that AB 957 may lead to charges of neglect or abuse of a child against parents who refuse to participate in their child’s transgender behavior.”
During a meeting regarding the bill, California Republican Senator Scott Wilk said that the bill would drive parents out of the state.
“In recent years, we’ve put bureaucrats from the government in between kids, parents, and physicians when it pertains to medical care. Now, if a parent doesn’t agree with the government’s ideas, their children will be taken away from them,” Wilk explained, adding, “If you love your kids, you need to leave California.”
Assemblywoman Lori D. Wilson, who is pushing for this bill, said that her “transgender son” pushed her to do so.
“These problems are very important to me because my son is transgender.” Wilson stated to the Washington Examiner, “Research shows that family willingness to embrace LGBTQ+ youth is a very important way to protect against depression and drug abuse. Social support from family and close friends that is well-rounded is strongly linked to positive mental growth, physical wellness, and overall well-being.”
