Here is the news article referenced in the original post. You may have to sign up for a free membership, but it's pretty simple.
www2.ocregister.com...�ion=NEWS
By just reading the news article, this seems pretty outrageous. It's not exactly what they make it seem like, though. The actual bill is AB 537 and
it states:
SEC. 3. Section 200 of the Education Code is amended to read:
200. It is the policy of the State of California to afford all
persons in public schools, regardless of their sex, ethnic group
identification, race, national origin, religion, mental or physical
disability, or regardless of any basis that is contained in the
prohibition of hate crimes set forth in subdivision (a) of Section
422.6 of the Penal Code, equal rights and opportunities in the
educational institutions of the state. The purpose of this chapter is
to prohibit acts which are contrary to that policy and to provide
remedies therefor.
SEC. 4. Section 220 of the Education Code is amended to read:
220. No person shall be subjected to discrimination on the basis
of sex, ethnic group identification, race, national origin, religion,
color, mental or physical disability, or any basis that is contained
in the prohibition of hate crimes set forth in subdivision (a) of
Section 422.6 of the Penal Code in any program or activity conducted
by an educational institution that receives, or benefits from, state
financial assistance or enrolls pupils who receive state student
financial aid.
SEC. 5. Section 221 of the Education Code is renumbered to read:
220.5. This article shall not apply to an educational institution
which is controlled by a religious organization if the application
would not be consistent with the religious tenets of that
organization.
www.leginfo.ca.gov...
This is the definition of "gender" that applies to Penal Code section 422.6 (a):
California Penal code Section 422.76
"gender" means the victim�s actual sex or the
defendant�s perception of the victim�s sex, and includes the
defendant�s perception of
the victim�s identity, appearance, or behavior, whether or not that identity, appearance, or behavior is different from that traditionally associated
with the victim�s sex at birth.
Notice that the gender identity, that's protected from abuse, is as perceived by the HARASSER, not the harassed. Based on the actual language of the
bill, I would have to agree with the 62 parents that the news article mentions. It hardly seems worth it to give up funding, that pays for everything
from new computers to class-size reduction programs, over. Especially since only 8 of the 70 parents who attended the school meeting sided with the 3
school board members who decided this for the whole county. California has definitely done it's share of stupid things, but I don't think this
policy is one of them.