California State Sen. Scott Wilk, R-Santa Clarita, urged parents to “flee” the state before it’s too late if they “love their children” in response to what he calls alarming language in a gender identity bill. Legislation AB 957 cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee with an 8-1 vote on Tuesday.
Conservative outlet The Daily Signal reported that the warning followed a Democratic senator’s recent amendment to identify “gender affirmation” among children’s needs for “health, safety and welfare.” If parents refuse to affirm their child’s preferred gender, they could face child abuse charges and lose custody disputes.
Critics of the bill say its ambiguous language could mean that parents get slapped with false allegations.
NEWLY AMENDED CALIFORNIA BILL COULD PUNISH PARENTS REFUSING TO ‘AFFIRM’ CHILD’S GENDER IDENTITY
“In the past when we’ve had these discussions and I’ve seen parental rights atrophy, I’ve encouraged people to keep fighting. I’ve changed my mind on that,” Wilk said. “If you love your children, you need to flee California. You need to flee.”
After some listeners applauded his remark, Wilk added that he himself plans to not stay in the state once he leaves the legislature.
“I was born and raised in this state. I love this state, but I’m not going to stay in this state. It’s just too oppressive and I believe in freedom and so I’m going to move to America when I leave the legislature,” he said.
AB 957, was initially authored by Democratic Assembly member Lori Wilson and State Senator Scott Weiner, who also co-sponsored it.
A spokesperson for Sen. Wilson tried to downplay concerns over the amendment, saying previously, “It’s not saying [affirmation] is the most important factor or determining factor. It’s one of many factors that the judge should consider while working out a custody agreement.”
Weiner, a representative from San Francisco, also introduced a bill that would require foster parents to affirm the gender of a child entering their…
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