This is a lightly edited transcript of remarks Erin Friday made Tuesday during a hearing before the California Senate Judiciary Committee. Read below, or watch the video above.
I am Erin Friday, lead of Our Duty, an attorney and a mother of a girl who used to believe that she was a boy.
AB 957 is the first bill in the nation to codify into law that a parent who does not affirm the gender identity of the child is abusive.
There is no nuance in this bill. It matters not the age of the child, the absurdity of the identity adopted, co-morbid mental health issues, or persistence. Family court judges will be compelled to favor the child who will affirm the child’s delusion.
Parents can easily gain the system and use gender as retaliation against each other. What happens when one parent will socially affirm the child but will not agree to medicalize? Does the parent willing to do more transitioning prevail?
AB 957 unambiguously states that the health, safety, and welfare of the child includes a parent’s affirmation of the child’s gender identity. If it passes, it will be child abuse if one does not affirm a child’s gender identity and not just in custody cases.
The triad of words health, safety, and welfare will be used by CPS [Child Protective Services], judges, and police to take children away from parents like me who knew better than to concretize their child’s gender identity. The penal code defines neglect as harm to a child’s health and welfare. It also defines harming a child as causing the child’s health to be endangered. Child abuse or neglect is defined in the penal code as endangering the health of a child.
In a case last year entitled Hall Saul H, a minor was not returned to his parents because returning him to his family was not in the best interest of his health, safety, and welfare.
So there we have it folks. Any parent who does not affirm the gender identity of their child is an abusive parent.
Upwards to 88% of all gender confused kids will return to being comfortable in their [biological] sex bodies if they are not affirmed. Do you really want to penalize parents for their belief in science?
>>> Read more about the hearing here.
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