A group of far-right parents is suing California Attorney General Rob Bonta because he accurately named their anti-trans rights initiative, which they want to put on the November ballot.
Protect Kids California, a parents’ rights group, is currently gathering signatures for the “Protect Kids of California Act of 2024.”
Bonta’s office, which has the authority to provide official titles and summaries for proposed initiatives, has renamed the proposal the “Restricts Rights of Transgender Youth Initiative.”
“The Attorney General’s Office in a statement before a trial in April emphasized its responsibility to issue accurate titles and summaries for proposed initiatives in compliance with procedural requirements,
The Protect Kids of California Act of 2024 would require schools to inform parents if their children want to identify as a different gender, prevent trans girls from participating in school sports as their gender, and obligate all students to take part in activities and use bathrooms and other school facilities based on their sex assigned at birth.
The Protect Kids group argues in their lawsuit that the Attorney General, Rob Bonta, was supposed to provide an impartial and accurate title and summary for the initiative, and that the title and summary misrepresent the intent and impact of the ballot initiative.
“Regardless of the perspective or content of a ballot initiative, Californians deserve an unbiased title and summary of that initiative as part of their fundamental political speech,” said Emily Rae, senior counsel at the Liberty Justice Center, which also filed the lawsuit against Bonta. Liberty Justice Center, which co-filed the lawsuit against Bonta, is insistent that Bonta must fulfill his duty as Attorney General without introducing bias or prejudice.
The parents’ rights group supports their case with polling data, including a Rasmussen survey showing that 68% of California voters and 65% of Democrats favor schools notifying parents if their child identifies with a gender different from their biological sex.
The group also references the findings of a Gallup poll, indicating that 93% of Republicans, 67% of independents, and 48% of Democrats oppose trans athletes playing on teams that correspond with their gender, along with a majority in a Harvard/Harris poll believing that trans kids should be denied puberty blockers. Gone uncited by Protect Kids is polling from the Public Policy Institute of California. that found 70% of likely California voters support the federal Equality Act, which prohibits discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity.
The “Restricts Rights of Transgender Youth Initiative” must obtain 546,651 signatures to be placed on the November 2024 ballot, according to the California Secretary of State.
