AB 957: Bill to Protect TGI Youth Vetoed

By Jondi Gumz

On Sept. 8, the California State Assembly passed AB 957 to require judges in child custody cases to make “gender affirmation” a factor in child custody cases.

The vote was 57-16 along party lines with Assembly members Gail Pellerin, Dawn Addis and Robert Rivas voting yes.

The State Senate passed the bill 30-9, along party lines. Senators John Laird and Anna Caballero voted yes.

Under it, parents who decline to affirm their child’s gender identity or gender could be guilty of failing to provide for the “health, safety, and welfare” of their child—and lose custody to another parent or the state.

Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, declined to sign the bill, writing, “I urge caution when the Executive and Legislative branches of state government attempt to dictate — in prescriptive terms that single out one characteristic — legal standards for the Judicial branch to apply. Other-minded elected officials, in California and other states, could very well use this strategy to diminish the civil rights of vulnerable communities.”

Assemblymember Lori Wilson, D-Suisun City, whose child identifies as transgender, introduced the Transgender, Gender-Diverse, and Intersex Youth Empowerment Act on Feb. 14. The co-sponsor is State Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco.

The term “gender affirmation” isn’t defined in AB 957.

In March, Wilson’s office issued a statement saying, “AB 957 empowers parents who support their TGI children by clarifying once and for all that affirming a child’s gender identity is in the best interest of the child, allowing courts to consider a parent’s affirmation of their child’s gender identity when making decisions about visitation and custody.”

In a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing June 13, state Sen. Scott Wilk, R-Santa Clarita, warned parents to leave California if the bill becomes law.

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To read the bill, see https://legiscan.com/CA/text/AB957/id/2823779