A Southern California school district is suing Gov. Gavin Newsom over a law that would prohibit schools from enacting policies to notify parents if their child uses different pronouns or gender identity at school.
Governor Newsom signed the law on Monday to widespread praise from the LGBTQ lobby, but school districts have argued that the law violates parental rights under the U.S. Constitution.
“Most PK-12 minors are too young to drive, vote, or provide medical consent. They are also too young to make life-changing decisions about their gender identity without their parents’ knowledge. Yet AB 1955 would allow them to do just that, with potentially devastating consequences for kids too young to fully understand,” Emily Ray, senior counsel at the Liberty Justice Center, said in a statement.
“School officials have no right to hide secrets from parents, but parents have a constitutional right to know what their minor children are doing at school. The parents are the legal guardians of children, not Gov. Newsom,” she added.
Ray and the LJC are representing the school district in the legal battle.
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California Governor Gavin Newsom greets people near Common Man Roadside Market & Deli, Monday, July 8, 2024, in Hooksett, New Hampshire. (AP Photo/Stephen Sene)
Newsom’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment, but told NBC News he believes the law is constitutional and plans to fight the lawsuit in court.
“California law provides that minors cannot legally change their name or gender without parental consent, and consistent with federal law, parents will continue to have full access to their students’ education records,” Newsom spokeswoman Izzy Gurdon told the outlet. “We are confident the state will win this case swiftly.”
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The lawsuit comes on the same day that billionaire Elon Musk said he was planning to move. Headquarters SpaceX and social media Platform X are relocating from California to Texas in part due to the new law.
The lawsuit comes on the same day that billionaire Elon Musk said he plans to move the headquarters of SpaceX and social media platform X from California to Texas, in part because of the new law. (Hakan Nurul/Anadolu Agency/File/Getty Images)
“This is the final push. Due to this law and many previous laws that attack both families and businesses, SpaceX will be moving our headquarters from Hawthorne, CA to Starbase, TX,” Musk wrote in a post on X.
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The new law comes after some California school districts passed policies requiring parents to be notified if their children want to change their gender, sparking backlash from Democratic state officials who say students have a right to privacy.
Billionaire Elon Musk said he plans to move SpaceX and its companies out of California, in part due to a transgender law signed by California Governor Gavin Newsom. (Chris Dumond/Shutterstock)
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AB 1955 also requires the state Department of Education to develop resources for families of LGBTQ students in grades seven through high school. The law is set to take effect in January.
Fox News reporter Bradford Betts and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
