On Monday, California became the first U.S. state to legally bar school districts from notifying parents of a child's decision to change their pronouns.
The law was signed in response to local districts in California passing laws requiring school districts to notify their parents if they learn of a child changing their pronoun. Advocates of the law point out that preventing transgender children from confiding in sympathetic teachers puts them in danger and violates their right to privacy, especially if their parents do not understand the history and science behind transgender identities.
The author of the bill, Assemblyman Chris Ward, explained its importance in a statement to the Los Angeles Times.
“Politically motivated attacks on the rights, safety and dignity of transgender, nonbinary and other LGBTQ+ youth are on the rise nationwide, including in California,” Ward said. “As a parent, I urge all parents to talk to their children, listen to them, and love them unconditionally for who they are.”
Eric Vilain, a clinician and the director of the Center for Gender-Based Biology at the University of California, Los Angeles, told Scientific American that "since there is not one biological parameter that takes over every other parameter, at the end of the day, gender identity seems to be the most reasonable parameter."
“Having a trusted adult is paramount to ensuring a queer kid makes it to their next birthday,” Kai, a transgender man who recently graduated from high school, said at a news conference last month, as reported by AP News. “If you care about kids, you’ll enact this legislation that will protect their well-being and protect their lives.”
