In a powerful stand for parental rights, fairness in athletics, and the protection of children from harmful gender ideology, three groundbreaking bills were introduced last Friday at a press conference in front of the California State Capitol. Surrounded by concerned parents, former athletes, and advocates, Assembly members Bill Essayli (R-Riverside) and Leticia Castillo (R-Corona) unveiled legislation aimed at restoring common sense and protecting California families.
The press conference marked a significant moment in the ongoing battle against policies that undermine parental authority and biological reality. Assemblyman Bill Essayli’s bill seeks to repeal a controversial section of the California Education Code (221.5(f) that allows biological males to participate in female sports and access girls’ locker rooms and restrooms. Newly elected Assemblywoman Leticia Castillo introduced AB 579 (Yaeli’s Law) to prevent the state from treating parents as child abusers if they refuse to affirm a child’s chosen gender identity, and AB 600, which would allow parents to opt their children out of transgender-related instruction in public schools.
Protecting Girls’ Sports and Privacy
Authored by Assemblyman Bill Essayli, his bill would restore sex-based distinctions in school sports and facilities by ensuring that participation in sex-segregated programs is based on biological sex rather than gender identity. Under current law (Education Code § 221.5(f)), schools are required to allow students to compete in sports and use facilities according to their self-declared gender identity, rather than their biological sex—a policy that has led to controversy, lawsuits, and real-world harm to female athletes.
“President Trump’s actions to save girls’ sports on the federal level have been critical to our fight here in California,” Essayli declared at the press conference. “But this is just the beginning. We know the state of California is going to do everything it can to resist and avoid compliance with federal law, so it’s our role to try to force change here at the state and local level.”
The issue has reached a boiling point in California. Essayli highlighted the Riverside Unified School District lawsuit, where a female athlete was displaced from her varsity track team spot by a biological male. “What was really surprising, though, was the attitude of the faculty and administration, who attacked these girls for speaking up,” Essayli said. “Girls have a First Amendment right, as does every single person, and when they expressed that they didn’t agree with these policies, they were persecuted and compared to Nazis. That is unacceptable.”
AB 579: Yaeli’s Law – Defending Parental Rights
Assemblymember Leticia Castillo made an emotional plea in announcing AB 579, also known as Yaeli’s Law, named after Yaeli Martinez, a young woman tragically lost to suicide after being removed from her home due to gender identity disputes.
This bill “will ensure that no parent can be accused of child abuse or neglect for refusing to treat their child as the opposite sex or for refusing to consent to harming their child with puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, or surgical removal of their sexual organs,” Castillo said.
If Democrat legislators refused to support this bill, Castillo believes that would send the following message: “Every parent of a child whose identity does not align with their biological sex must affirm an ever-expanding list of gender identities and consent to permanent and irreversible medical treatments” or lose your child. This should alarm every single parent and make them reconsider raising children in our state.”
Yaeli’s Law prohibits California’s Child Protective Services (CPS) from using a parent’s refusal to affirm a child’s transgender identity as justification for removing children from their homes. It also allows parents who are wrongfully investigated or penalized to sue for damages.
Yaeli’s mother, Abigail Martinez, stood at the podium, her voice shaking with grief. “I was investigated by CPS because I wanted to call my daughter the name her father and I gave her with love. I was investigated because I would not treat my daughter as if she were a boy,” Martinez tearfully recounted. “The judge allowed her to start testosterone against my wishes because I was the only one who disagreed with it. … No parent should be investigated by CPS just because they want their child to grow up comfortable in their sex and happy with their own body.”
AB 600: Restoring Parents’ Rights in Education
In yet another powerful move, Castillo introduced AB 600, a bill designed to protect parents’ right to opt their children out of transgender-related education. Under existing California law, parents cannot opt out of lessons that promote gender ideology, even if it contradicts their deeply held beliefs.
“Parents are the primary educators of their children, and children belong to their parents, not the state,” Castillo said. “Today, the concept of transgenderism has infiltrated not just health classes, but nearly every subject in schools. Parents in my district and across California are demanding the right to shield their children from teachings that promote the idea that biological sex is meaningless and that they may have been born in the wrong body.”
“As a mental health provider, I have witnessed the alarming trend of vulnerable kids, those struggling with depression, anxiety, ADHD, and other challenges, as they adopt transgender identities,” said Castillo, a Licensed Clinical Psychotherapist. “As they struggle with the changes their bodies go through during puberty, they are being led to believe that their natural feelings of discomfort can be explained away by a transgender identity, which is not true.”
Under AB 600:
- Parents can opt their children out of transgender-related lessons, discussions, and surveys.
- Schools must notify parents at the beginning of the year about any instruction related to gender identity.
- Schools are required to offer alternative educational activities for children who opt out.
- Legal recourse will be provided for parents if their rights under the bill are violated.
Former College Coach Speaks Out
Melissa Batie-Smoose, a former collegiate assistant coach at San Jose State University, who lost her job for standing up for female athletes, delivered a powerful speech at the press conference. She filed a Title IX complaint after her female volleyball players were forced to share a team with a biological male athlete. She described the fear, discomfort, and physical disadvantages female players endured.
“I recently was terminated from San Jose State University, not because I was a bad coach, but because I filed a Title IX complaint and claim to protect the women’s sanity, integrity, and female sports,” Batie-Smoose said. “When finally the female athletes discovered that there was actually a male on the team, they were told as well that they need to seek therapy and that they have to keep silent. … They were just being basically told that their feelings, their thoughts, did not matter.”
A Growing Coalition
The event drew a diverse coalition of supporters, from parents and faith leaders to former transgender individuals like Chloe Cole, who detransitioned after undergoing irreversible gender surgeries as a minor.
Cole’s parents were coerced into approving medical transition procedures for her because doctors and therapists framed it as a life-or-death decision. The parents initially questioned why their child wanted these drastic medical interventions but were repeatedly told that without them, she would likely take her own life. The therapists cited high suicide rates among transgender youth and blamed them on the lack of medical access and social acceptance. Overwhelmed by fear and lacking alternative guidance, the parents ultimately consented to testosterone and a double mastectomy as treatment, believing they had no other choice.
“The last thing that you want to be told by your child’s clinicians, no less, is that your child is going to die without treatment. And because they weren’t given any other resources or alternatives, they believed this, and they said yes.”
Democrats Face a Test of Conscience
In a scathing rebuke, Our Duty leader Erin Friday, an advocate for parents’ rights, called on California Democrats to reconsider their promotion of transgenderism.
“I want to say how disappointed and disgusted I am with my party, the Democrats, not just here in our state government but nationally,” Friday explained. “When the Democrats in the house had a chance to restore dignity and safety to females, they didn’t. Instead, arguing that women and girls are safe with men in their private spaces. … California Democrats have an opportunity to redeem themselves.”
What’s Next?
The three bills are expected to face fierce opposition from California’s Democrat-controlled legislature and the powerful LGBTQ lobby. However, with increasing grassroots support and national attention, proponents remain hopeful that the public will demand change.
The press conference ended with a call to action for parents and advocates to contact their representatives and demand that these bills receive fair hearings and votes.
Conclusion
With the introduction of these bills, Assembly members Essayli and Castillo have set the stage for what could be a landmark showdown over parental rights, fairness in sports, and education freedom in California. The battle lines have been drawn, and the future of California’s children and families hangs in the balance.
