The California State Assembly passed a bill on Friday that is set to require judges involved in child custody cases to consider whether a parent has supported a child’s perceived “gender transition” by making “gender affirmation” an integral part of the child’s “health, safety, and welfare” under state law.
The Daily Signal reported that Democratic lawmakers’ bill, A.B. 957, was passed by the Assembly by a vote of 57-16. The results of the vote were along party lines. And the California Senate passed the bill on Wednesday in a vote of 30-9.
California Governor Gavin Newsom is expected to sign the bill into law. Under this new law, a parent who does not go along with their child’s perceived gender identity could be guilty of failing to provide their child with sufficient “health, safety, and welfare.” Additionally, this could result in a parent losing custody of their child.
A member of the Assembly, Lori Wilson, whose own child identifies as transgender, wrote the bill and introduced it on February 14. The bill was supported by State Senator Scott Wiener. Additionally, it was Wiener who amended the bill on June 6, saying that a judge would need to consider if a child experiencing gender dysphoria was actively being “affirmed” by their parents.
However, some have pointed out that “gender affirmation” is not sufficiently defined in A.B. 957, which raises concerns about how the potential law could be used against parents.
Susannah Luthi, of the Washington Free Beacon, said that the “bill makes no distinctions regarding the age of the child, how long a child has identified as transgender, or affirmation of social transition versus medical sex-change treatments.”
Journalist Greg Price took to X, reporting on what Wilson previously said about parents “affirming” their child’s perceived transition: “Parents affirm their children. Typically, it happens when their gender identity matches their biological gender. But when it doesn’t, the affirmation starts to wane. … Our duty as parents is to affirm our children.”
X CEO Elon Musk commented on Price’s post, saying: “This must be stopped. A lot of families and companies will leave the state to avoid risking their children being sterilized by the government.”
Musk commented on a separate post from Price on the same subject, suggesting that the new law “is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. What it actually means is that if you disagree with the other parent about sterilizing your child, you lose custody. Utter madness!”
If the law is passed, parents could potentially be penalized under the California Penal Code, prompting some to speculate that A.B. 957 could result in parents being charged for child neglect or abuse for not actively participating in their child’s perceived transgenderism.
State Senator Scott Wilk has previously urged parents to get out of California amid the revelation of what this bill could mean for children, parents, and families throughout the state.
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