Democratic California state Sen. Scott Wiener stands as the central figure behind a series of bills targeting parental rights and promoting gender ideology, igniting a lively cultural debate over the destiny of California schools.
Working alongside activist groups and members of the California LGBTQ caucus, Wiener has been instrumental in introducing legislation that could fundamentally alter California’s stance on LGBTQ issues. These bills include guidance for custody decisions based on parental affirmation of a child’s gender identity, mandatory training for teachers to identify and support LGBTQ students, and allowance for children as young as 12 to be placed in state residential housing without parental consent.
“I think the struggle with parents is getting them to understand what’s happening in California. When you talk to people about these things, they think you’re joking,” Republican California Assemblyman Bill Essayli told the Daily Caller.
The conflict between parental rights groups and Democratic lawmakers has escalated, with several school boards resisting guidance from California state authorities aimed at limiting parental rights. This resistance has led to the formation of a statewide ballot initiative by the parental rights group, Protect Kids California, seeking laws to ban child sex change surgeries, prevent men from entering women’s locker rooms, and require schools to notify parents of student gender transitions.
“These groups are pulling the strings behind the scenes,” Essayli added.
Wiener’s legislative efforts in the 2022-2023 session include A.B. 5 and A.B. 665, which parental rights activists argue are designed to force gender ideology.
“He’s strategic in his bills,” Erin Friday, a parental rights activist, said.
A.B. 5 mandates training for teachers to identify potential LGBTQ children and ensure they are knowledgeable about LGBTQ issues.
“So now you have teachers that are on the lookout for LGBTQ kids and on the lookout for those kids who aren’t being supported by their parents,” Friday said.
A.B. 665, on the other hand, would allow children aged 12 and older to check into government-run residential shelters without parental consent.
“The authors want to change the law to let a 12 year old opt out of their home on a whim, invoking parental separation and emancipation of minors without any claim of danger or parental consent,” Nicole Pearson, an attorney opposing the bill, said. “This is child emancipation.”
Another bill, A.B. 957, which was vetoed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, would have mandated custody judges to consider a parent’s affirmation for their child’s gender identity when deciding custody and visitation rights.
“If you love your children, you need to flee California,” Republican California state Sen. Scott Wilk said at a hearing for A.B. 957.
Wiener’s controversial legislative history includes authoring a bill in 2017, Senate Bill 239, which lowered the punishment for individuals who knowingly transmit HIV to another person, and a bill in 2020, A.B. 145, that exempts certain individuals convicted of sex crimes against minors from being placed on the sex offender registry.
Wiener defended the latter bill, stating it “ends discrimination against LGBTQ people on the sex offender registry.”
While Wiener has elicited controversy for his bold, progressive stances on many issues, the people of California’s 11th Senate district can rest well at night, knowing that their legislator stands firm in his advocacy for the rights of LGBTQ sex offenders.
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