Last week we received the unfortunate news that although Protect Kids California gathered 400,000 signatures on their statewide initiative, falling shy of the requisite 546,651 signatures needed to appear on California’s ballot in November.
While this is certainly a disappointing loss, we are tremendously impressed by the hard work and dedication of Protect Kids California and the tens of thousands of volunteers who stepped up to the plate to see this initiative on the ballot. This 100% grassroots effort raised nearly $200,000 from just over 1,200 donors, equating to less than 50 cents per signature – an incredibly small amount compared to standard ballot measures.
“While we are disappointed we didn’t meet the threshold to qualify for the ballot, we are encouraged by the amount of support from every sector of the state,” Protect Kids California wrote in a press release. “We gathered more signatures for a statewide initiative than any all-volunteer effort in the history of California.”
The initiative would have accomplished the following:
- Repealed the California law that permits male students to compete in female sports and be in females’ locker rooms and bathrooms;
- Prohibited schools from deceiving parents about their student’s gender identity crisis and stopped them from secretly transitioning a child; and
- Stopped “sex change” operations and chemical castrations on minors.
“Our message is simple. Schools shouldn’t keep secrets from parents; we should protect girls’ sports and private spaces at school; and we should protect kids from unproven, life-altering, and often sterilizing medical procedures. We vow to continue fighting for these principles,” Protect Kids California summarized.
If the initiative had been successful in collecting 546,651 signatures, Protect Kids California is confident the measure would have been passed into law by voters in November, citing polls that found the measure’s objectives are overwhelmingly supported by California residents.
“We had severe headwinds from the beginning. California Attorney General Rob Bonta issued a false and misleading Title & Summary for our initiative. That made our fundraising efforts more difficult. While we sued the Attorney General, a Superior Court Judge denied our motion in April. We plan to appeal the Superior Court Judge’s decision, at which time we will decide how to proceed in the future. If we had a little more time or a little more money, we would have easily qualified for the ballot.”
“We know the truth – California voters stand in opposition to the politicians seeking to separate children from their parents, while pushing a dangerous ideology that sterilizes kids, confuses them about their identity, and lets boys rob females of their sports and bathroom privacy,” said Greg Burt, Vice President of California Family Council. “Even left-leaning parents want to maintain their parental rights and be informed about what’s happening to their children at school. This initiative may have failed, but the parent rights movement in California is just getting started. We will not stop until our children are safe at school and parent rights are respected.”
