California Proposes Anti-LGBTQ Bill

With over 350 proposed anti LGBTQ bills sweeping our nation it appears that few states are safe from this rash of hateful legislation. In California AB 1314 would require that any teacher, counselor or employee of a school notifies the parents of any student that identifies at school as a gender that does not align with the child’s assigned gender & uses sex-segregated school programs & activities including athletic teams & competitions or uses facilities that do not align with the child’s assigned gender. The California Legislative LGBTQ+ Caucus stated, “The California Legislative LGBTQ Caucus is united in ensuring that our children are protected & safe. But legislation that aims to ‘out’ transgender & non-binary students against their will does not protect them — it puts them in potentially life-threatening danger, subjecting them to trauma & violence. Additionally, the Trevor Project cites family conflict around youths’ LGBTQ identities as a driving factor contributing to LGBTQ youth homelessness. Teachers should not be forced into the inappropriate position of revealing a student’s personal information about their gender identity with anyone. Data indicates that 82% of transgender individuals have considered killing themselves & 40% have attempted suicide, with suicidality highest among transgender youth. Anyone putting forward a bill that would only increase those numbers is not seeking to protect children. Period.” Tony Hoang, Executive Director Equality California concluded, “We want LGBTQ+ students to feel safe talking to their parents about their gender & sexuality, but AB 1314 ignores the reality that not all trans youth have that option…For many trans kids, school is the only place they feel safe to be their true, authentic selves. Forced ‘outing’ bills like AB 1314 seek to strip that sense of safety & dignity away.”

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