California Now a Refuge For Transgender Youths, a Haven for Escaping Parental Oversight

Already an ‘abortion sanctuary,’ as stipulated in its state constitution, California is now a ‘transgender state of refuge,’ per State Senate Bill 107, which just became law Jan. 1. The legislation erodes parental rights by allowing minor children to travel to the Golden State for trans procedures, puberty blockers, known as “gender-affirming health care.”

Introduced by state Sen. Scott Wiener, SB 107 allows non-parent adults to bring minor children to California for experimental and damaging transgender medical interventions, without the knowledge or consent of their parents — and now makes California a destination state for “transgender” procedures for minors.

When he signed the legislation in September, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced, “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. 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… States across the country are passing laws to demonize the transgender community, especially transgender youth and their parents. I cannot put it better than Governor Spencer Cox of Utah – “rarely has so much fear and anger been directed at so few.” The hate demonstrated by these laws is unfathomable and has contributed to soaring suicide rates. 82% of transgender individuals have considered killing themselves, and 40% have attempted suicide…This is unacceptable – we must fight for our youth and their parents.”

Wiener told the state Assembly Appropriations Committee in August that “this is an accepted medical practice…Parents allowing their children to have health care.”

A lawyer/mother who withheld her name testified in August SB 107 is unconstitutional and violates parental rights by offering protections to non-custodial parents to abscond to California for trans gender treatments. “Every Attorney General in the country should be filing lawsuits against California for sterilizing or experimenting on minors,” she said.

The pro-family Protect Child Health Coalition warned “SB107 would create a series of unprecedented and dangerous exceptions to California law and customary practice regarding cooperation with other states’ legal proceedings. For example, it would forbid the release of medical information, even in a civil or criminal proceeding and even in response to a valid subpoena.

“Even more shocking,” the statement said, “is what the law says about parental custody determinations. It would actually authorize parental kidnapping (when a non-custodial parent illegally takes a child from the parent who has legal custody) if the purpose of the kidnapping is to subject the child to radical gender transition procedures.”

The court filings did not address “de-transitioner” warnings and experiences of trauma, regret, and often normal issues of confused teenagers.

The New York Post published a piece about transgender regret, which identified young people seeking to transition, but doing so without adequate mental-health evaluations.

“According to an online survey of detransitioners conducted by Dr. Lisa Littman last year, 40% said their gender dysphoria was caused by a mental-health condition and 62% felt medical professionals did not investigate whether trauma was a factor in their transition decisions,” the Post reported.

Marcus Evans, Clinical Director of Adult and Adolescent Services at the Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust, a publicly funded mental-health center in the United Kingdom, told the Post many youth seek treatment for gender dysphoria.

“I saw children being fast-tracked onto medical solutions for psychological problems, and when kids get on the medical conveyor belt, they don’t get off,” Evans told the Post. He previously served as Clinical Director of Adult and Adolescent Services at the Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust, a publicly funded mental-health center in the UK where many youth seek treatment for gender dysphoria, the Post piece said. “But the politicization of the issue was shutting down proper clinical rigor. That meant quite vulnerable kids were in danger of being put on a medical path for treatment that they may well regret.”

The transgender refuge bill sailed through the state’s legislative committees by Democrats and signed by Newsom, without substantially focusing on any “transition” data or real life accounts, critics say.