California Democrats have introduced two bills aimed at granting judges the power to remove custody from parents who do not affirm their child’s gender identity and requiring judges to consider a parent’s affirmation of the child’s gender identity or expression when deciding on granting custody rights.
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As reported by the Washington Free Beacon, both bills lack clear definitions for the term “affirmation” and do not specify an age at which a child’s identity should be affirmed by their parents. The bills are set for approval by the State Assembly and State Senate by September 14th.
Lance Christensen, a spokesman for the California Policy Center, comments on the bills: “In the unfortunate event that parents are negotiating visitation rights for their children in a custody dispute, it makes sense for a judge to consider if the children are in legitimate danger. However, classifying a parent who does not affirm a child’s gender dysphoria should not be in the same category as an abuser.”
The bills were introduced by State Senator Anna Caballero (D) and co-authored by State Senator Scott Wiener (D). Wiener is known for introducing several pro-LGBT bills that have sparked controversy, including legislation decriminalizing the act of knowingly infecting someone with HIV and a bill decriminalizing homosexual acts with minors. Wiener defended his legislation, attributing the backlash to “a pretty massive misinformation campaign about this bill by the right-wing media.”
