America First Legal (AFL), alongside co-counsel from Schaerr Jaffe LLP, has filed a lawsuit on behalf of a group of California parents and the City of Huntington Beach, California, targeting Governor Gavin Newsom, Attorney General Robert Bonta, and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond.
The lawsuit challenges the recently enacted Assembly Bill 1955 (AB 1955), which restricts schools from informing parents if their child expresses a desire to change their gender or be referred to by different pronouns.
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Governor Newsom signed AB 1955 into law on July 15, sparking outrage from many parents and conservative groups. The new law bars schools from notifying parents when a child begins exhibiting signs of gender confusion, such as requesting to be called by a name or pronoun of the opposite sex.
Notably, the law has no age restrictions, meaning even preschoolers could be socially transitioned without parental knowledge. Additionally, it shields school employees from disciplinary action if they initiate or facilitate such transitions, despite growing concerns from medical professionals about the potential harm caused by these interventions.
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AFL argues that AB 1955 violates the 14th Amendment, which protects the right of parents to make decisions regarding their children’s medical treatment. Social transitioning, AFL contends, is a form of medical intervention that can lead to long-term harm, including the use of puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones, potentially resulting in irreversible physical changes. The lawsuit asserts that the government has no right to intervene in private family matters, especially when it comes to decisions about a child’s gender identity.
“This law is an attack on fundamental parental rights,” AFL stated in a press release. “Whether a child socially transitions is a deeply personal matter between parent and child, not a decision to be made by the government or school system.”
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AFL has a history of defending parental rights in similar cases across the country. The organization has filed lawsuits in Wisconsin, Washington, and Arizona, challenging policies that promote gender transitions without parental consent or knowledge. AFL remains committed to stopping what it describes as “state-sponsored gender extremism” and ensuring that parents are not kept in the dark when it comes to their children’s well-being.
“America First Legal is proud to be leading the courtroom battle for parental rights and the defense of children nationwide,” said Stephen Miller.
“The State of California is now using state law to force schools to hide a child’s desire to ‘gender transition’ from parents. This is outrageous. Parents—not the government or any school system—have the utmost right to raise their children and protect them from dangerous ideologies. We are proud to represent these courageous parents and the City of Huntington Beach in this righteous fight against tyranny,” said Gene Hamilton, America First Legal Executive Director.
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America First Legal vows to continue its efforts to overturn AB 1955 and defend parental rights in California and beyond.
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