LGBTQ+ students in California will have legal protection against being outed at school starting next year, but not everyone’s on board — and a recent lawsuit could spell the bill’s end before it even begins.
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the Support Academic Futures and Educators for Today’s Youth, or SAFETY Act , into law last month and it will take effect Jan. 1. The first in the nation law doesn’t force school workers to inform parents of changes in their child’s gender identification. It also provides additional resources for junior and high school students who identify as LGBTQ+. The law is a reaction to multiple California school boards that created policies requiring schools to notify parents if their child asked to use a name or pronoun not assigned at birth, or participate in activities or use facilities designed for the opposite gender.
LGBTQ+ advocate Eli Dinh said this law is crucial to protecting students . Dinh said queer and trans youth deserve the freedom to decide on their own terms when and who they want to be out to. He said being outed before they’re ready is traumatic.