California’s AB 957 Bill: A Step Too Far in Gender Identity Affirmation?

California’s AB 957 bill, which requires family courts to include a parent’s affirmation of their child’s gender identity in custody disputes, has already passed the state assembly. Assemblymember Lori Wilson, who sponsored the bill, encouraged her own child’s transition and hopes to see similar laws passed in every state. However, some judges are already penalizing parents who do not accept the claims of trans activists. AB 957 goes further by effectively defining non-affirmation as abuse, creating a precedent for much broader applications. This could lead to the removal of children from happily married or single parents. The bill sets no requirements for clinical evaluations and includes no mention of mental-health comorbidities. Even schools, churches, and other organizations could be obliged to affirm under such a broad definition of child abuse. Meanwhile, the global credibility of the “gender-affirming” model is crumbling.