California’s Democrat Governor Gavin Newsom signed a law Thursday that designates his state as a sanctuary city for transgender people, and will allow children and teens from other states to begin the medical transition, including hormone treatment and sex reassignment surgery, without prior parental consent.
The bill is intended to safeguard children who intend to undergo a sex change from subpoenas, court orders, and revocation of child custody by out-of-state authorities.
“This bill would prohibit a provider of health care, a health care service plan, or a contractor from releasing medical information related to a person or entity allowing a child to receive gender-affirming health care or gender-affirming mental health care in response to a criminal or civil action, including a foreign subpoena, based on another state’s law that authorizes a person to bring a civil or criminal action against a person or entity that allows a child to receive gender-affirming health care or gender-affirming mental health care,” reads the justification for the bill, known as SB 107.
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The legislation also seeks to prevent California law enforcement from arresting or extraditing a person with warrants issued by another state on the basis of laws prohibiting such treatment of minors.
In addition, it grants “temporary emergency jurisdiction” to the courts to provide “protection” to minors who enter California for the purpose of undergoing a sex change without the consent of their parents, who will be charged with “abuse or mistreatment” if they prevent the medical procedure on their children.
California will be able to prohibit the enforcement of a court order against a parent regarding the custody of their minor child for allowing them to undergo sex reassignment treatment or surgery.
“In California, we believe in equality and acceptance. We believe that no one should be prosecuted or persecuted for getting the care they need — including gender-affirming care,” Newsom said, quoted by the Los Angeles Times. “Parents know what’s best for their kids, and they should be able to make decisions around the health of their children without fear. We must take a stand for parental choice.”
Tomás Lugo, journalist and writer. Born in Venezuela and graduated in Social Communication. Has written for international media outlets. Currently living in Colombia // Tomás Lugo, periodista y articulista. Nacido en Venezuela y graduado en Comunicación Social. Ha escrito para medios internacionales. Actualmente reside en Colombia.