A Republican effort requiring California schools to tell parents if their child is transgender came to a halt in an Assembly committee Monday, April 10.
Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi, D-Torrance, who chairs the Education Committee, announced he would not schedule a hearing on AB 1314, which would give schools three days to notify parents in writing once a school employee learns a student is identifying as a gender that doesn’t align with their birth certificate or other official records.
The bill, sponsored by GOP Assemblymember Bill Essayli of western Riverside County and Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher of Yuba City, faced opposition from LGBTQ advocates who warned it could harm transgender youths whose parents aren’t accepting of their gender identity.
Muratsuchi said in a news release he wouldn’t set a hearing “not only because the bill is proposing bad policy, but also because a hearing would potentially provide a forum for increasingly hateful rhetoric targeting LGBTQ youth.”
“This bill would require educators to ‘out’ a student to their parents, even when the student does not feel comfortable coming out, potentially forcing them into an unwelcoming or abusive home,” Muratsuchi said. “As a parent, I believe that gender identity conversations between parents and their children should occur in a safe and private space.”
The decision not to hold a hearing “is symbolic of where Sacramento Democrats stand on parental rights,” Essayli said in a press release. “They believe the government owns our children and that parents do not have a right to know what is happening with their own children at school.”
He added: “Gender dysphoria is a serious issue, and parents need to be aware of the associated mental health risks trans minors face. Studies are clear that trans minors do better with parental involvement. Leaving parents in the dark is dangerous and unconstitutional.”
