California parents and school board members are up in arms over a slew of bills proposed by Democrats that push gender ideology in the state.
The bills introduced push parents to accept their child’s belief that they are a different sex than their biological sex and would make many aspects of gender ideology state law. These parents and school board member believe these laws are an attack on parental rights and an attempt by the state to take their role, they told the Daily Caller News Foundation.
One of the bills introduced this session, A.B. 957, which passed California’s upper chamber Aug. 8, requires judges to consider whether the parent accepts their child’s belief that they are a different sex than their biological sex in custody cases. Democratic Assembly Member Lori Wilson and California State Senator Scott Wiener introduced the bill in February.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 02: Senator Scott Wiener speaks at the VIP reception at SF Pride 2023 Kick Off: “A Night Of Queer Entertainment” at The Castro Theatre on June 02, 2023 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Miikka Skaffari/Getty Images)
“AB 957 is an anti-family bill that would allow the government to further dictate what families can and cannot do. AB 957 would make any parent who doesn’t affirm transgenderism for their child guilty of child abuse under California state law,” Chino Valley Unified School District (CVUSD) President Sonja Shaw told the DCNF.
Shaw introduced a parental notification policy in CVUSD in July which requires school officials to inform parents when their child believes that they are a different sex than their biological sex and has been generally against the bills targeting parental rights in the California legislature. A federal judge blocked the policy Sep. 6 after California Democratic Attorney General Rob Bonta sued the district.
Rocklin Unified School District in California introduced a similar policy on Sep. 7.
“They are wreaking havoc and doing everything in their power to remove and destroy the family unit,” Shaw told the DCNF.
Nichole Vicario, a mother of eight, who has several kids who go to school in the CVUSD, said parents in the community are generally against policies like A.B. 957 and other bills that restrict parental rights.
“A lot of people are talking about pulling their kids from the district and homeschooling,” Vicario told the DCNF.
“It’s not a debate in our community. It’s like, what the hell is going on? It’s almost unbelievable to read some of these bills that are coming out,” she continued.
Jonathan Zachreson started Protect Kids California, a parental rights group that introduced three statewide ballot initiatives to combat what he sees as overreach by the state.
“California has established very concerning policies that lead children struggling with gender related issues towards a single path of lifelong medicalization. AB957 would be one more of those policies,” Zachreson told the DCNF.
Another bill, The Safe and Supportive Schools Act, A.B. 5, which was passed by the California Senate Sep. 7, would require teachers to be trained in “identifying LGBTQ+ youth who are subject to, or may be at risk of, bullying and lack of acceptance at home or in their communities,” and be trained to be accepting of LGBTQ students.
“They are diverting funding from the priority of the education system, which is to teach students to read, write, do math, and have critical thinking skills,” Shaw told the DCNF. This bill is an attempt by the California legislature to push its ideology on kids and push kids away from parents and into the arms of the state, according to Shaw.
Then there’s A.B. 665, which would allow minors to consent to mental health care without parents’ knowledge.
A mental health provider might “find that obtaining parental consent for a youth who needs support is complicated by the parent or caretakers’ beliefs and stigma about mental health care,” according to the bill.
Minors who are 12 years old or older can consent to mental health care or residential services under certain conditions, which include being “mature” enough to receive these services, being in danger of physical or mental harm, and being a victim of incest or child abuse.
“It’s basically legalized state-sanctioned kidnapping,” Vicario told the DCNF.
Another parent, Scott Davison, said parents in the San Diego community are worried about A.B. 655.
“They’re slowly trying to erode parental rights and parental autonomy and have both knowledge and control over the upbringing of your child,” Davison told the DCNF.
Vicario says that often, when she talks to people in her community, people don’t know what’s going on with these bills, and when she tells her Democrat friends, they’re shocked.
“I’ve had some in-depth conversations where even the Democrats are going, what the hell’s going on? That’s crazy. That sounds like a conspiracy theory,” Vicario told the DCNF.
A separate bill introduced in February, A.B. 1078, would require schools to include LGBTQ materials by law and make it illegal for school boards to vote against using these materials.
“Restricting access to classroom and library materials because they feature LGBTQ people or were written by LGBTQ authors discriminates against LGBTQ people and constitutes censorship in violation of California law and policy,” the bill reads.
“These legislators are in this little bubble, and they’re not in touch with voters,” Davison told the DCNF.
A.B. 957, A.B. 5, A.B. 665 and A.B. 1078 now head to Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk for his signature.
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