Gavin Newsom Sends a Clear Message to Parents in California

COMMENTARY Gender

Gavin Newsom Sends a Clear Message to Parents in California

Oct 3, 2023 1 min read
COMMENTARY BY
Sarah Parshall Perry

Senior Legal Fellow, Meese Center

Sarah Parshall Perry is a Senior Legal Fellow for the Edwin Meese III Center for Legal and Judicial Studies at The Heritage Foundation.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom talks to reporters on September 27, 2023 in Simi Valley, California. Mario Tama / Getty Images

Key Takeaways

Will the government take your child away because you don’t buy into radical gender ideology? Well, if you live in California, it’ll certainly try. 

Judges there might have to include a parent’s affirmation of their minor child’s gender identity when determining who gets to see the child—or doesn’t.

The message from California is: parents—and the Constitution—not welcome.

Will the government take your child away because you don’t buy into radical gender ideology?

Well, if you live in California, it’ll certainly try. 

While Gov. Gavin Newsom surprisingly vetoed the bill that would have forced parents to accept their child’s gender identity, that veto can still be overridden by the state Legislature.

In child custody and visitation cases, judges normally consider the health, safety, and welfare of the child. But California legislators went the extra mile: Judges there might have to include a parent’s affirmation of their minor child’s gender identity when determining who gets to see the child—or doesn’t.

Newsom did sign nine LGBTQ special interest bills into law—including one that allows a minor child to change their official gender and sex identifier…

Without. Telling. Parents. 

California is violating parents’ constitutional rights to raise their children as they see fit—recognized by the Supreme Court for more than 100 years—while it works toward a full-state apparatus to force gender orthodoxy on kids.

The message from California is: parents—and the Constitution—not welcome.

This piece originally appeared in The Daily Signal