With AB 957, which urges judges to "strongly consider that affirming the minor's gender identity is in the child's best interest," Greg Burt of the California Family Council says Democrat lawmakers are ignoring traditional family values.
"It seems as though the state here doesn't consider our beliefs, especially about gender and sexuality, to count anymore," he laments. "And now they're willing to remove children from the custody of parents if they don't agree with their views."
The bill's principal coauthor is Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), who 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.
Considering the gravity of the consequences if AB 957 becomes law, Burt is frustrated with the silence from conservatives.
"I can't imagine parents are going to put up with this much longer. I think … a lot of parents just can't believe it's actually true," he suggests. "We've been warning people that this is happening; we don't see the outrage that we need."
The bill has passed out of the Assembly Judiciary Committee with a party-line vote and will either move to Appropriations or directly to the floor before moving on to the Senate.
