As states push anti-trans laws, California is considering its own (2023)

Good morning and welcome to Essential CaliforniaNewsletter. EsFreitag 7.4.Militarykenya romero, scripting partner for audience participation in East Los Angeles.

Bills that would limit the rights of transgender people have been passed in state legislatures across the country. This is part of more than 450 bills restricting the rights of members of the LGBTQ community in this legislature alone.praise the ACLU.

Last month,GeorgiajTennesseeUnit11 other statesgetting laws on the books that prevent gender-affirming procedures or hormone replacement therapy for anyone under 18 (even with parental or guardian consent).Nebraska,Carolina do Sul,West Virginia,MississippijDakota del SurThey are very close and similar bills pass through their legislatures.

Bills targeting other LGBTQ communities and gender identities have also attracted national attention. Tennessee recentlyProhibited drag demonstrationsin public space. The North Dakota legislature sent the governor a bill to that effect.prevent school-aged children from using pronounsother than those assigned to them at birth, without parental consent.

While California leaders have positioned the state as aprogressive safe haven for transgender people, The reality is more complicated.

Two Republican state legislators in Sacramento have proposed a bill that would require school officials to notify parents if their child is transgender or identifies as a gender that does not match the gender assigned at birth.

[Keep reading:California law requires schools to notify parents if their child is transgender]

Of course, the bill has little chance of making it through the dark blue California legislature.

In fact, California has had a law prohibiting this practice since 2014. Teachers and educators cannot tell parents when a student uses new pronouns in school or comes out as transgender to peers.

The reasoning? Revealing that a student is transgender could put the student at risk and violate California anti-discrimination law, making the student more vulnerable to harassment and violating a student's right to privacy, the agency said.California Department of Education.

according to aStudy published in the National Library of Medicine in 2021.

on aState survey 2022According to LGBTQ advocacy group The Trevor Project, only 1 in 3 transgender and non-binary youth said they felt safe at home sharing their identity.

But Bill Essayli (R-Riverside), one of the project's two co-sponsors, argues that parents deserve to know what decisions their children are making.

"Parents play a critical role in raising and supporting their children and cannot be removed from the equation," Essayli told a press conference at Jurupa Valley High School last month.

She added that if critics are concerned about abuse of transgender children at home, they can be assured that teachers are reporters for hire and already looking for abuse.

[Advance:A 9-year-old transgender girl shares her story]

This did not convince his critics.

In a note condemning the bill, theCalifornia LGBTQ Legislative GroupHe said: "Conversations between children and their parents about gender identity should be on their terms, at the time and place they see fit, not because politicians say so" and that exposing students against their will "puts you in a life-threatening situation." Notice."

The Los Angeles Times editorial boardHe joined the chorus, calling the bill "a minor bill designed to win political points from his conservative constituency".

Senator Scott Weiner (D-San Francisco) shared his disapproval of the bill on Twitter.

AboutFlorida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis' Bill, which requires teachers and counselors to inform parents of their children's gender identity,weiner tweeted, “A DeSantis-style bill has just been introduced in California to require teachers/counsels to notify parents when a child has a gender identification that is not on the birth certificate. Even if the child is not yet ready to talk to the parents. Even if you cheat on the child you risk domestic violence.

"I didn't. Not in California.

And now,This is what happens in California:

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STORIES OF

Bridget Bousa hangs out with her sister's dog, Bunny, in their newly built ADU in the Fairfax area.

(Mariah Tauger/Los Angeles Times)

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Who is sending Uber Eats mystery orders to Los Angeles neighborhoods? The plot thickens.A wave of unwanted food deliveries across Westwood Hills and Highland Park has angered local residents. With few answers to questions about the origin of the orders, a fascinating theory has emerged. Los Angeles Times

POLICY AND GOVERNMENT

What to do with Newsom's fury in the south?Governor Gavin Newsom has spent the last few days away from California doing things that California governors rarely do. Earlier this week, he was in Sarasota, Fla., meeting with students at the New College of Florida, which has become a symbol of the national culture wars, as Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis seeks to reshape the progressive campus by moving conservative trustees to the office. sets. . . Los Angeles Times

The Los Angeles Times reported on Judge Thomas' gifts 20 years ago.It was 2004 when the Los Angeles Times revealed that Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas had accepted expensive gifts and private air travel paid for by Harlan Crow, a wealthy Texas real estate investor and prominent Republican donor. In response, Thomas stopped publicizing the gifts, but a new ProPublica investigation found that he continued to receive them.Los Angeles Times

From Boy Meets World to Elections.Actor Ben Savage, star of the 1990s comedy Boy Meets World, is running for Congress to represent part of Los Angeles County. His campaign is the latest test case of just how important celebrities are in American politics.Los Angeles Times

CRIME, COURTS AND POLICE

Man pleads guilty to the death of rapper Pop SmokeA 20-year-old suspect in Pop Smoke's murder has pleaded guilty in a juvenile court, admitting he entered a Hollywood Hills mansion in February 2020 as a teenager to rob the rapper, who was fatally shot during an altercation with his attackers.Los Angeles Times

Friends and family mourn the death of the Cash App founder in a stabbing in San Francisco.Family and friends of Cash App founder Bob Lee have mourned the tech executive's loss after he was stabbed in San Francisco this week. A 43-year-old man, identified by friends and family as Lee, was found by San Francisco Police Department officers on Main Street in San Francisco's Rincon Hill neighborhood, according to a press release.Los Angeles Times

HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT

See the rebirth of California's "ghost" Lake Tulare in stunning before-and-after photos.Once the largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi, Lake Tulare was last filled in 1878. Recent storms have flooded thousands of acres of farmland in the area.Los Angeles Times

These parts of California are at risk of flooding caused by the melting ice.After three months of relentless torrential rain and snow, California faces another environmental threat: sunny skies and mild weather. While temperatures are expected to reach 80 degrees in the Central Valley in the coming days, the big threat of a thaw is weeks away.Los Angeles Times

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

Finally, you can visit Anacapa Island and see how it has changed in a year without tourists.The island closest to the Channel Islands National Park has had a break from visitors, but boat service has resumed. Here's what you need to know about the rugged SoCal getaway.Los Angeles Times

How to make a reservation for Coachella's most exclusive Michelin pop-up.There's no hunger at this year's Coachella Music Festival. Check out the best dining experiences you'll find at this year's festival, including secret bars, unique restaurants, pop-ups and more. Los Angeles Times

AND FINALLY

of todaycalifornia landmarkoutside ofDonald Carpasvon beautiful oaks:Norte e Sul Table Mountain Ecoreserve.

View of the Ecological Reserve North and South of Table Mountain.

(Donald Carper)

donald writes:

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