California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) vetoed a bill Friday that would have allowed judges to consider a parent’s support — or lack thereof — for a child’s gender transition in court cases. Custody battles between divorcing parents.
In June, as Breitbart News reported, a Republican lawmaker urged families to flee the state if AB 957, co-authored by Rep. Lori Wilson (D-Suisun City) and State Sen. Scott Wiener (Democrat of San Francisco), became law.
But – as this author predicted – Newsom has decided to adopt a “moderate” stance as he contemplates a national political career, allowing his party and administration to take radical positions, then veer toward the center.
Newsom issued a message explaining his veto, in which he said California courts could already consider a parent’s support for a child’s gender transition, and suggested he was concerned about the conservative backlash in other states.
He wrote:
I urge caution when the executive and legislative branches of state government attempt to dictate – in prescriptive terms that emphasize a feature – the legal standards that the judiciary must apply. Elected officials with differing views in California and other states could very well use this strategy to diminish the civil rights of vulnerable communities.
Additionally, under existing law, a court is required to consider the health, safety, and welfare of a child when determining the best interests of the child in any such proceeding, including the parent’s affirmation of the child’s gender identity.
He followed up Saturday with a statement saying “Governor Newsom is signing legislation supporting LGBTQ+ Californians,” which pointed to other laws he had signed, out of respect for the LGBTQ+ activist community.
Newsom’s administration continues to target school districts that adopt parental notification policies. He recently said parents worried about schools hiding gender transitions had been “fanned” by misinformation.
Joel B. Pollak is a senior editor at Breitbart News and host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the new biography, Rhoda: “Comrade Kadalie, You Are Out of Service.” He is also the author of the recent e-book Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. He is the recipient of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
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