SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California became the first U.S. state to bar school districts from requiring staff to notify parents of their child’s gender identification change under a law signed Monday by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
The law bans school rules requiring teachers and other staff to disclose a student's gender identity or sexual orientation to any other person without the child's permission. Proponents of the legislation say it will help protect LGBTQ+ students who live in unwelcoming households. But opponents say it will hinder schools' ability to be more transparent with parents.
The legislation comes amid a nationwide debate over local school districts and the rights of parents and LGBTQ+ students.
''This law helps keep children safe while protecting the critical role of parents," Brandon Richards, a spokesperson for Newsom, said in a statement. "It protects the child-parent relationship by preventing politicians and school staff from inappropriately intervening in family matters and attempting to control if, when, and how families have deeply personal conversations.''
The new law comes after several school districts in California passed policies requiring that parents be notified if a child requests to change their gender identification. That led to pushback by Democratic state officials, who say students have a right to privacy.
But Jonathan Zachreson, an advocate in California who supports the so-called parental notification policies, opposes the law and said telling parents about a student's request to change their gender identification is ''critical to the well-being of children and for maintaining that trust between schools and parents.''
States across the country have sought to impose bans on gender-affirming care, bar transgender athletes from girls' and women's sports, and require schools to out trans and nonbinary students to their parents. Some lawmakers in other states have introduced bills with broad language requiring that parents are told of any changes to their child's emotional health or well-being.
The California law led to heated debate in the state Legislature. LGBTQ+ lawmakers have shared stories about how it was difficult for them to decide when to come out to their families, arguing that transgender students should be able to share that part of their identity on their own terms. State Assemblymember Bill Essayli, a Republican representing part of Riverside County, is an outspoken opponent of the law. He has criticized Democratic leaders for preventing a bill he introduced last year — that would have required parents to be told of their child's gender identification change — from receiving a hearing.
