This week, lawmakers approved a bill that would accuse parents of child abuse if they did not “affirm” their children’s purported gender identity, leading a Republican leader in California to advise families to leave the Golden State. The bill was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Senator Scott Wilk (R-Antelope Valley) voiced his concerns over Assembly Bill 957, which significantly alters the state’s family law and other legislation, during a hearing this week.
“I’ve advised families to keep fighting when we’ve had similar discussions in the past and I’ve seen parental rights diminish. I’ve changed my mind about that; if you love your children in your heart, you must leave California. You must leave.”
The bill amends Section 3011 of the Family Code, which deals with child custody disputes, and requires that a court consider the affirmation of a rumored transgender status while determining the child’s “best interests”. A child would be subjected to child abuse and have their health, safety, and welfare violated if their “gender identity” were denied.
Since the legislation changes the definition of what constitutes a child’s “health, safety, and welfare,” any organization that works with children, including as schools, churches, and hospitals, would be required to support gender transitions in minors.
The law’s language is ambiguous and all-inclusive, making no distinctions depending on the child’s age, how long they have known they are transgender, or if they are receiving sex-change therapy or validating social changes.
Wilk, a California native who served 11 years in the state Senate, said he plans to move elsewhere after his term is complete.
“I really love this state,” Wilk said. “I can’t stay in this repressive situation any longer. I intend to immigrate to America after my term in the assembly is through because I believe in freedom.
Numerous parents and family-rights organizations protested the measure on the grounds that Wilk’s comments furthered the state’s appropriation of parental authority.
The chapter leader of the pro-parents group Our Duty, Erin Friday, asserts that the language of AB 957, which would go on to become the first statute in the country to formally designate “gender-affirming” denial as child cruelty, is vague.
“The child’s age, the ridiculousness of the adopted identity, co-morbid mental health concerns, or tenacity is irrelevant,” said Friday. Judges in family court will be compelled to side with the parent who supports the child’s hallucination.
