In 2024, California passed AB 1955 to protect one of the most vulnerable groups in our schools: transgender and nonbinary students who are not yet ready — or safe — to come out to their families. The law was simple. It said school employees could not disclose a student's gender identity or expression to parents without the student's consent.

It has now been blocked by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, which found it likely unconstitutional.

For many transgender students, that protection was not a political statement. It was a lifeline. Research is clear that LGBTQ youth in non-affirming households face dramatically higher rates of depression, anxiety, and suicide. Coming out is not a bureaucratic event. It is an intensely personal decision — one that, when forced, can put a young person in real danger.

AB 1955 did not cut parents out of their children's lives. It gave students the ability to decide when and how to share something deeply personal. It protected children who needed time. It protected children who needed safety. And it trusted young people to lead their own stories.

We are calling on California legislators and Governor Gavin Newsom to continue fighting for the protections AB 1955 was designed to provide — through the courts, through new legislation, and through every legal avenue available. We are also calling on the California Department of Education to provide clear guidance to schools on protecting student privacy while this legal battle continues.

Transgender students deserve to feel safe at school. Sign this petition and stand with them.