The California Senate has passed a bill that prohibits school districts from mandating that teachers inform parents when a student requests to use a different pronoun while attending school.
In the midst of legal disputes over the rights of parents and students who identify as gender nonconforming, the California Legislature is considering a bill that would prohibit school districts from requiring instructors to inform parents if their child requests to use a new pronoun in school.
On Thursday, the state Senate gave its approval to a plan that would prohibit school districts, with some exceptions, from establishing or implementing policies mandating that staff members reveal a student’s gender identity or sexual orientation to third parties without the student’s consent. The intention is to protect students whose safety may be in jeopardy if they live in unfriendly homes.
This is a personal matter for Kai, a transgender guy who just had treatment for suicidal thoughts and attempts prior to coming out. Kai graduated from high school in the Rocklin Unified School District, which is located close to Sacramento. At a press conference last month, Kai revealed that he had confided in a teacher “who had proven her dedication and sensitivity toward all her kids.”
According to him, “having a trusted adult is vital to ensuring an LGBT kid survives to celebrate their next birthday.” “You will pass this law to protect children’s lives and well-being if you care.”
After more than an hour of an emotional debate in which Democratic LGBTQ+ senators shared their stories of delayed or outed coming out to their parents, lawmakers approved the proposal along party lines. They made the case that students who identify as gender non-conforming ought to have the freedom to inform their families on their own terms. However, Republican senators asserted that schools have a duty to be open and honest with parents and that the state shouldn’t control whether or not school districts can implement so-called parental notification policies.
It is part of the national conversation about rights for LGBTQ+ children and parents, as well as local school systems. Many states have attempted to outlaw gender-affirming healthcare, prohibit transgender athletes from participating in women’s and girls’ sports, and mandate that transgender and nonbinary pupils be “out” to their parents. Legislators from other states have proposed legislation that includes broad language, requiring parents to receive updates on any changes in their child’s mental health or well-being.
Republican state senator Kelly Seyarto, a representative for Murrieta, Southern California, stated that schools ought to tell parents when their child changes their gender identity in order to improve communication.
“The greatest way to get from people being upset and furious to coming up with a solution that works for everyone is if we include the parents,” he stated.
Greg Burt, vice president of the California Family Council, a conservative Christian advocacy group, stated that California officials shouldn’t stop notifying all parents because they fear some of them could respond negatively.
Burt remarked, “You don’t presume that all parents are dangerous.” “That ought not to be the presumption.”
After passing through committees and the assembly, the bill will now go to the desk of Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom, whose administration has been at odds with school boards over notification practices.
The debate over the policy is being enacted through state-wide legal proceedings.
Democratic Attorney General Rob Bonta sued the Chino Valley Unified School District in August, claiming that the district’s notification policy discriminated against kids who identified as gender non-conforming. After a judge temporarily banned portions of the policy, the district revised it to cover more ground when a child requests any modification to their student records.
But in a case involving the Escondido Union School District in Southern California, a court tentatively ruled to bar the district from reprimanding instructors for telling parents about their child’s gender identification change.
On Thursday, state senator Caroline Menjivar, a lesbian, disclosed on the Senate floor that she had come out to her mother when she was sixteen years old.
The San Fernando Valley Democrat claimed, “I was kicked out and came home to literally all of my stuff on the front lawn.” “That’s what occurs when parents reject their gay children.”
Then, according to her, Menjivar moved back into the closet to keep living at home. It wasn’t until she was 25 years old that she came out to her mother again. Menjivar, who is now 35, stated that her mother is still not accepting.
“These are the stories of countless LGBT youth in California,” the speaker stated.
