Virginia Lawmaker to Introduce Bill Making It Illegal For Parents To Deny Their LGBT Children’s Sexual Orientation

A state delegate in Virginia said she’s introducing legislation in the next session that would make it a crime for parents to not affirm their child’s gender identity.

QUICK FACTS:
  • Democratic Virginia Delegate Elizabeth Guzman said she will introduce legislation that will classify parents who don’t approve of their child’s sexual orientation as child abuse and neglect.
  • “It could be a felony, it could be a misdemeanor, but we know that CPS charge could harm your employment, could harm their education, because nowadays many people do a CPS database search before offering employment,” Guzman told WJLA this week.
DEMOCRAT ELIZABETH GUZMAN ON GOV. GLENN YOUNGKIN’S NEW POLICIES PROTECTING STUDENTS:

“This is how we are going to push back,” Guzman said.

BACKGROUND:
  • Guzman’s move comes after Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin updated the “model policies” on transgender students, requiring students to use restrooms and compete on sports teams based on their gender at birth.
  • “This is about restoring power to parents,” Gov. Youngkin told Fox News last month. “And let’s just be clear, children do not belong to the state. They belong to families. And when a child is wrestling with this kind of decision, a parent should absolutely be the primary counselor adviser and help her in wrestling with this decision.”
  • The Virginia Department of Education argued that the previous administration “disregarded the rights of parents and ignored other legal and constitutional principles that significantly impact how schools educate students, including transgender students.” 

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