Gov. Gavin Newsom Signs Dangerous Parent Secrecy Bill AB 1955

Is California slated to become Gov. Gavin Newsom’s gender transition sanctuary state?

Gov. Newsom just signed Assembly Bill 1955 by Assemblyman Chris Ward (D-San Diego), the bill to prohibit schools from notifying parents if their child is “gender confused” or “transitioning” to the opposite sex. Horrifyingly, the bill’s title is “Support Academic Futures and Educators for Today’s Youth Act.”

As the Globe told Rebecca Friedrichs last week as she guest-hosted the Tamara Scott show, Assemblyman Ward’s rationale for authoring AB 1955 was so trans kids would not be “outed” by teachers at school. Ward conflates gay kids with trans kids as if they are one in the same.

This is perhaps the weakest excuse for the bill even just legally, because laws across the country state that a parent must meet a child’s basic needs and parent in a way that serves the child’s best interests. Parents also have a financial duty to raise and support their children, as well as their children’s basic needs of food, clothing, housing, medical care, and education. This usually continues until each child reaches the age of 18.

A parent must also serve a child’s emotional and physical needs and protect the child from abuse. Most parents are pretty clear on all of this.

But the added layer of government interference into the parent-child relationship is disturbing, and legally dubious.

The California Legislature continues to try to replace parents with school counselors, teachers, mental health providers, abortion providers, “gender-affirming” trans care specialists, or any number of adults willing to give vaccines, feed kids drugs, provide opposite-sex hormones, authorize gender surgeries, and get them treatment for sexual violence and rape – without a parent being any the wiser.

AB 1955 has a whole host of problematic issues including violating mandatory school reporting requirements, and enables really messed up parents who not only allow a child to “transition” to the opposite sex, some parents actually promote the transitioning to the child. And this bill manages to identify and target parents who would not be supportive of the transitioning of their child to the opposite sex.

As the Globe reported last week:

The bill actually is promoting public schools hiding important health and medical information about minor children from parents.

By taking this stance of effectively promoting gender transitioning in “gender confused” students, schools are as treacherous as the Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy parent because they are enabling. In many couples, one parent opposes the gender transitioning of a child, while the other is pushing it.

AB 1955 appears to also be a back door way to allow schools to cover for Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy, which is a mental illness and a form of child abuse, according to the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. “The caretaker of a child, most often a mother, either makes up fake symptoms or causes real symptoms to make it look like the child is sick. It feeds her ego to be involved with medical professionals in deciding the course of treatment.”

“Often, they can describe the child’s symptoms in great medical detail. They like to be very involved with the health care team and are liked by the staff for the care they give the child.”

Here is what AB 1955 Assembly Floor Analysis says:

“Requires the California Department of Education (CDE) to develop resources and strategies to support Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Questioning (LGBTQ+) students and their families; prohibits an employee or contractor from being required to disclose any information related to a student’s sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression to any other person without the student’s consent; prohibits public schools from enacting or enforcing any policy requiring an employee or contractor to disclose any information related to a student’s sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression, without the student’s consent; and requires that any such policy be invalid.

Lawmakers in the California Legislature and the governor have lost their minds. This bill isn’t about helping children at all.

California Assemblyman Bill Essayli (R-Riverside), who has fought fearlessly against AB 1955, just issued a statement condemning Gavin Newsom for signing this “Dangerous Parent Secrecy Bill.”

“Today, Governor Gavin Newsom defied parents’ constitutional and God-given right to raise their children by signing AB 1955 which codifies the government’s authority to keep secrets from parents,” Assemblyman Essayli said. “AB 1955 endangers children by excluding parents from important matters impacting their child’s health and welfare at school. Governor Newsom signing AB 1955 is both immoral and unconstitutional and we will challenge it in court to stop the government from keeping secrets from parents.”

“Parental rights have been under attack by the California Legislature which prompted Assemblyman Essayli to author AB 1314 to ensure parents are aware if their child requests to change their gender on official school records. Legislative Democrats refused to hear AB 1314 and Attorney General Bonta responded by suing school districts across the state to keep secrets from parents. AB 1955 codifies the authority of the government to keep secrets from parents.”

The bill effectively exempts school employees from any responsibility with gender confused and gender transitioning students – other than to allow and promote it.

What about the parents who are dangerous to their own children? What about the mandatory reporting of abuse of a child?

And what about the mandatory reporting, or even involving parents when a child appears “gender confused?” The opportunity for predatory abuse of said child is wide open.

The Globe concluded: Just imagine for a moment if Gov. Gavin Newsom signs the bill, or allows it to go into law. Newsom is already Governor of the illegal alien sanctuary state, and the abortion sanctuary state – will California now become Newsom’s gender transition sanctuary state?

This is one more case of Gavin Newsom fulfilling his own agenda rather than governing the state of California.

UPDATE July 15, 2024, 10:30pm:

We received an email response to this article from Brandon (he/Him) Richards in the Governor’s office. Brandon had this to say:

Saw your article and wanted to provide the following statement from a Governor’s Spokesperson (can use my name if needed):

• • “This law helps keep children safe while protecting the critical role of parents. It protects the child-parent relationship by preventing politicians and school staff from inappropriately intervening in family matters and attempting to control if, when, and how families have deeply personal conversations.”

Additionally, providing the following information on background that could be helpful in your reporting:

• • Under California law, minors cannot legally change their name or gender without parental consent and parents are guaranteed the right to access their students’ educational records.

• • AB 1955 strengthens existing California protections against forced outings of students in schools and ensures that teachers and staff do not interfere with the parent-child relationship by forcing families to have conversations about identity.

Importantly:

• • This law does not allow a student’s name or gender identity to be changed on an official school record without parental consent.
  • This law does not limit a student’s ability to discuss their gender identity with their own family.
  • This law does not take away or undermine parents’ rights. Parents have a crucial role in discussions about a student’s LGBTQ+ identity, and AB 1955 does not prevent families from having these conversations.
  • This law does not allow teachers and school districts to hide information from parents, it ensures educators and staff are not forced to forcibly out a student’s LGBTQ identity absent a request for records and without the student’s consent.

Hoping you can update your story as soon as possible.

To which the Globe replied: