SACRAMENTO, Calif. (CITC) — A former legal advisor to former President Donald Trump is slamming California for keeping parents “in the dark” on information regarding their children, including gender identity.
May Mailman, who advised the former president on a range of social issues, told British news outlet GB News Monday that parents’ rights are gradually being “taken away.” She accused public school systems of leading the charge, pointing to both curriculums and policies she feels prioritizes “indoctrination” of students.
“When you still think that Santa Claus is real, when you don’t really know what it means to be a woman or a man … of course it is confusing to be able to think in your mind that you can choose,” Mailman told GB News. “Not only do you confuse kids … but you take away parental rights.”
Mailman called out California in particular, saying it is withholding information from parents at both the state and local level.
“Whether that’s information about gender transition or whether that’s information about what the kid is being called in school, parents are being left in the dark,” she continued. “You know what those parents are doing? They’re suing.”
READ MORE | Calif. parents erupt over student gender identity policy: ‘This is our children … we’re fighting for’
In April, two teachers sued both the California Department of Education and the Escondido Union School District over a policy they claim required them to “lie” to parents about their children’s gender identities. The policy allegedly directed employees on how to “aid” a transgender student’s “social transition,” such as by continuing to use the student’s legal name when communicating with their parents.
The teachers, both of whom teach at the middle school level, claim their request not to follow the practice was denied by Escondido Union.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta is currently leading a statewide push to restrict information on students’ gender identities from their parents. In August, he sued the Chino Valley Unified School District for approving a policy which requires teachers to tell parents if their children begin to use names and pronouns that do not match those on their birth certificate.
Under the same policy, teachers must also notify parents if their children request access to school facilities which do not correspond with their biological sex. Bonta has called the practice a “forced outing” policy, claiming it violates state law and threatens the safety of LGBTQ+ students.
READ MORE | California state official escorted out of heated school board meeting about gender identity policy
At least five other school districts in California have adopted the same policy, including the Temecula Valley Unified School District. A separate lawsuit against Temecula Valley’s adoption of the policy has garnered the support of the state’s largest teachers union.
A bill introduced earlier this year seeks to restrict California school board members’ abilities to oppose policies and curriculums deemed “inclusive.” Under Assemblymember Mia Bonta, D-Oakland, members could be removed from their boards for “taking an action that contradicts any existing law requiring a school district to have inclusive policies, practices and curriculum.”
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