New law restricts California authorities from enforcing laws of other states aimed at criminalizing transgender health care for minors
Max Brandt was welcomed into the world as a baby girl, but as a young child was repelled by “girly girls” and feminine things. And after puberty arrived, Brandt suffered through a mental breakdown every menstrual cycle.
Contending that all transgender youths in the country should have the same choices as Brandt and others like him, California legislators have made the state a refuge for trans youths and their families as a growing number of states attempt to restrict or ban transgender care to people under 18.Over the summer, California became the first state in the nation to pass such a sanctuary law.
Specifically, the measure prohibits California law enforcement from participating in the arrest or extradition of a person accused of a crime related to transgender care in a state where such care is criminalized. It also prevents California health care providers from releasing medical information to out-of-state authorities investigating families for allowing children to receive transgender care.
Before California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed SB 107, about 50 conservative, religious and parental rights groups from across the country urged him in a letter to veto the measure, warning Newsom that it would entice “minor children nationwide to leave their families and run away in pursuit of harmful drugs and sterilizing surgeries.”
The law’s supporters say the clause Burt is referring to was written in response to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s decision last February to direct the state’s child welfare agency to investigate parents of transgender kids for child abuse if they allow their children to receive gender-affirming care. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health say there’s limited data on the long-term effects of medical interventions such as puberty blockers and hormone treatment. But many parents of transgender children are often willing to take those risks in light of the high suicide rates of transgender youth.