California legislators have introduced a bill to pressure judges to remove kids from parents who won’t affirm their child’s self-determined trans-identity. Just this morning, the bill, AB 957, passed in the Assembly Judiciary Committee with a party-line vote; Republicans voted no, and Democrats voted yes. The bill’s author, Assemblywoman Lori Wilson (D-Livermore) introduced the bill to tell court judges to suspend their own independent judgment in custody disputes and instead “strongly consider that affirming the minor’s gender identity is in the best interest of the child.” Wilson is the only parent in the state legislature with a trans-identified child.
The bill’s principal coauthor is Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco). He authored a bill passed last year, SB 107, that gives California courts jurisdiction over any child brought to the state for trans-drugs, surgeries, or counseling even if kidnapped by a friend or a relative.
“It is unconscionable that state legislators would try and take children from parents who believe the sex of their children is a matter of biology and not feelings, or because they want to protect their children from sterilizing drugs and mutilating surgeries,” said Greg Burt, Capitol Director for the California Family Council. “The First Amendment protects parents from losing their children because their opinions or religious beliefs are unpopular with state politicians.”
While California legislators seemed determined to mandate every gender confused child be socially and medically transitioned, countries all over Europe are backing away from the “gender affirmation” model of care for minors with gender dysphoria. For instance, just recently the Norwegian Healthcare Investigation Board, (NHIB/UKOM) has deemed puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones & surgery for children & young people experimental, determining that the current “gender-affirmative” guidelines are not evidence-based and must be revised.
Scientific literature is starting to question the studies on which “gender-affirming care” is based. For instance, the Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy published an article in January of 2023 titled, The Myth of “Reliable Research” in Pediatric Gender Medicine: A critical evaluation of the Dutch Studies—and research that has followed. These are the types of articles you would be mandating judges ignore when determining what is really in the best interest of a child.
AB 957 will be heard in its first hearing on Assembly Judiciary Committee on March 21.
