Statement in Opposition of Anti-LGBTQ+ Assembly Bill 1314

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - March 14, 2023 - The California Legislative LGBTQ+ Caucus issued the following statement regarding California Assembly Bill 1314:

"The California Legislative LGBTQ Caucus is united in ensuring that our children are protected and safe. But legislation that aims to 'out' transgender and non-binary students against their will does not protect them - it puts them in potentially life threatening danger, subjecting them to trauma and violence. Additionally, the Trevor Project cites family conflict around youths 'LGBTQ identities as a driving factor contributing to LGBTQ youth homelessness.

"Teachers should not be forced into the inappropriate position of revealing a student's personal information about their gender identity with anyone. Data indicates that 82% of transgender individuals have considered killing themselves and 40% have attempted suicide, with suicidality highest among transgender youth. Anyone putting forward a bill that would only increase those numbers is not seeking to protect children. Period."

Equality California, the nation's largest statewide LGBTQ+ civil rights organization, released the following statement from Executive Director Tony Hoang:

"We want LGBTQ+ students to feel safe talking to their parents about their gender and sexuality, but AB 1314 ignores the reality that not all trans youth have that option. Trans people are more likely to face family rejection and even abuse at home based on their gender identity, which leads to overrepresentation in foster care, juvenile detention, and among unhoused youth. For many trans kids, school is the only place they feel safe to be their true, authentic selves. Forced 'outing' bills like AB 1314 seek to strip that sense of safety and dignity away.

"Conversations between children and their parents about gender identity should happen on their terms - at a time and place they feel is appropriate - not because politicians say so. We should be encouraging and supporting parents to have open and honest conversations with their children, not forcing teachers to serve as the school's 'gender police', tracking down students using a different name or pronoun at school and outing them at home."

AB 1314 would require that any teacher, counselor, or employee of a school notifies the parents of any student that identifies at school as a gender that does not align with the child's assigned gender and uses sex-segregated school programs and activities, including athletic teams and competitions, or uses facilities that do not align with the child's assigned gender.

Equality California is the nation's largest statewide LGBTQ+ civil rights organization. We bring the voices of LGBTQ+ people and allies to institutions of power in California and across the United States, striving to create a world that is healthy, just, and fully equal for all LGBTQ+ people. We advance civil rights and social justice by inspiring, advocating, and mobilizing through an inclusive movement that works tirelessly on behalf of those we serve. www.eqca.org