The state of California has passed a law banning regulations regarding outing students to their parents. The Support Academic Future and Educators for Today’s Youth Act (SAFETY Act) was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom. Designed to support and protect trans youth, the law also sets more advanced policies than just overturning the previus anti-trans policies.
Moving forward, the California Department of Education promises resources for parents, guardians, and families of LGBTQ+ students. In addition, teachers of students are granted protection from harmful responses or retaliation for supporting the rights to privacy of LGBTQ+ students and encouraged to continue introducing inclusive curricula to improve support for LGBTQ+ youth.
Brandon Richards, a spokesperson for Newsom, said on ABC News, “This law helps keep children safe while protecting the critical role of parents. 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.”
At least 12 California school districts considered passing the policy last year that mandated teachers to “alert” parents if a kid asked to be referred to by a name, pronoun, or gender other than what is shown on their birth certificate. This policy brought attention to Attorney General Rob Bonta of California, who filed a lawsuit in August against the Chino Valley Unified School District (CVUSD), claiming that the policy was illegal under state laws protecting civil rights.
Assemblymember Chris Ward, who introduced the SAFETY Act, mentioned in a press release his concern for the privacy rights of families. “While some school districts have adopted policies to forcibly out students, the SAFETY Act ensures that discussions about gender identity remain a private matter within the family,” Ward adds. “As a parent, I urge all parents to talk to their children, listen to them, and love them unconditionally for who they are.”
Civil rights organization Equality California stands with LGBTQ+ rights and released a statement expressing how meaningful the SAFETY Act is to the community:
“We are grateful to Governor Newsom for demonstrating his unwavering commitment to the LGBTQ+ community by signing the SAFETY Act into law. Over the past year, more than a dozen extremist school boards across California have considered or passed these harmful policies that openly discriminate against transgender students and prevent them from safely being themselves at school. The SAFETY Act could not be more timely or necessary, and LGBTQ+ students across California can breathe a sigh of relief following today’s action by the Governor.”
The legislation is currently being tracked, with eight states passing the anti-trans policy and five more states suggesting the practice but not required under law.
