California bill requiring school staff to out transgender students to parents effectively dead

A California bill that would require school employees to out transgender students to their parents will not get a committee hearing, meaning the legislation is effectively dead.

Assembly Bill AB 1314, by Assemblyman Bill Essayli, R-Riverside, was assigned to the Assembly Education Committee, which is chaired by Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi, D-Torrance.

On Monday, Muratsuchi announced that he is holding the bill without a hearing. He said that students deserve to be loved and supported for who they are, including when attending school, and that the gender identity conversation is one that should take place between parents and their children in a safe, private space.

“As Chair of the Education Committee, I will not be setting AB 1314 for a hearing, not only because the bill is proposing bad policy, but also because a hearing would potentially provide a forum for increasingly hateful rhetoric targeting LGBTQ youth,” Muratsuchi said in a statement.

Essayli released a statement in response to the decision, saying that to deny a hearing “is symbolic of where Sacramento Democrats stand on parental rights.”

“They believe the government owns our children and that parents do not have a right to know what is happening with their own children at school. Gender dysphoria is a serious issue, and parents need to be aware of the associated mental health risks trans minors face. Studies are clear that trans minors do better with parental involvement. Leaving parents in the dark is dangerous and unconstitutional,” Essayli said.

The Republican lawmaker said that he encourages parents to continue bringing lawsuits against their school districts “challenging existing policies that allow children to be socially transitioned at school without parental consent.”

Muratsuchi’s announcement was cheered by the California Legislative LGBTQ Caucus, chaired by Sen. Susan Talamantes Eggman, D-Stockton.

The caucus said in a statement that AB 1314 ignores that not all trans and nonbinary youths have loving and supportive families.

Fewer than a third of trans and nonbinary youths said they viewed their home as a safe and affirming place, according to a 2022 survey by the LGBTQ advocacy group The Trevor Project.

“The reality is that LGBTQ+ youth oftentimes face harassment, isolation, bullying, and even physical harm from their own families,”the caucus said in a statement. “Additionally, we know that LGBTQ+ youth are being negatively impacted by recent debates and laws around anti-LGBTQ+ policies and many have experienced victimization as a result.”

State legislatures across the country are considering hundreds of bills that target LGBTQ people, especially transgender youths. States have passed restrictive laws barring trans youths from receiving gender-affirming medical care, participating in sports or using the bathroom that matches their gender identity.

“The California Legislature should not provide a platform for anti-LGBTQ+ legislation that threatens the health and well-being of LGBTQ+ youth and empowers those who wish to cause them harm,” the caucus said.