Activists in California from both political parties have come together to fight to put measures on the state ballot that would ban child sex change surgeries and ensure fairness in women’s spaces, according to reports. Protect Kids California is the group leading the effort, filing three ballot initiatives to promote these bans.
“The media and the California legislators make it seem that it’s a Democrat versus Republican issue, but it’s not. I would say the majority of Democrats agree with us on this,” said Sophia Lorey, a female rights activist who spoke at the announcement of the initiatives.
The initiatives include the Protect Children From Reproductive Harm Act, which would ban child sex change surgeries and puberty blockers; the School Transparency And Partnership Act, which requires school officials to inform parents if a child wants to transition their gender; and the Protect Girls’ Sports And Spaces Act, which would establish sex-segregated bathrooms and locker rooms while banning males from competing in female sports. The initiatives will need 550,000 signatures in order to make it on the state’s ballot.
“All of these groups, including what I would say are far-left groups, the same sex attracted groups, Gays Against Groomers, the lesbian groups, the feminist groups – we are all holding hands on this issue,” said Erin Friday, one of the group’s leaders. She added that she believes the majority of Democrats are in favor of the initiatives.
Additionally, Sonja Shaw, president of the Chino Valley Unified School District, said that many people are fighting alongside her. “The real question comes down to are you okay with removing healthy body parts of a child, and if your answer is no, then you’re a part of this coalition,” she said.
A Gallup poll that was conducted in May showed that Americans’ support for transgender athletes competing as the gender they identify with had decreased in the past two years. Approximately 34% of participants said they’d support a transgender athlete playing on a team that matches their gender identity in 2021 compared to 26% in 2023. Support among Democrats for transgender athletes playing on teams that match their gender identity decreased from 55% to 47%.
This lends evidence to the view that most Democrats are in agreement with the group’s initiatives. Lorey also said that there is no tension between her and other activists: “It’s okay that we don’t agree on things,” she said. “We need to find ways to work together on the things we agree with.”
BREAKING: On behalf of @ProtectKidsCA, we just filed three statewide initiatives with the Attorney General of California. They are:
✅ School Transparency and Partnership Act
✅ Protect Girls’ Sports and Spaces Act
✅ Protect Children from Reproductive Harm Act.Visit… pic.twitter.com/mj8ztSfUs7
— Jonathan Zachreson (@JZachreson) August 28, 2023
California Attorney General Rob Bonta has sued the Chino Valley Unified School District after they passed a parental notification policy in July that would require teachers to inform parents if their child asked to identify as a different gender at school, but the parents in the district are refusing to back down.
It appears that the fight for these protections in California is a bipartisan one, with both Democrats and Republicans coming together to advocate for the protection of children from dangerous gender ideologies. According to Friday, it is time that lawmakers and the media pay attention to this movement and start “reading the tea leaves.”