FACT: We've known for a long time that secrets between minors & adults can endanger the health, safety, & well-being of children. T
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FACT: We’ve known for a long time that secrets between minors & adults can endanger the health, safety, & well-being of children.
There are teachers, coaches, and faith leaders in the news every single day who got away with preying on children because they manipulated children into “keeping our secrets.”
We know better than this. In this moment, a conscious choice is being made not to do better.
AND YET!
The arguments for #AB1955 include:
- Protecting LGBTQ children from parental abuse or punishment should a child come forward about being gay or have other questions around their gender.
This Response is WRONG
I watched this from afar. This battle, parents came with it. They came strong for kids. I’m sad to learn that they were defeated by more powerful leaders.
There are ways that California leaders could have assisted parents, and children in confronting and dealing with such issues that does not involve keeping secrets from parents.
I am a mother. I have questions.
1. Why would we teach children to keep secrets with strangers when we know that that has placed children in harm’s way for generations?
2. Are these secrets around a child’s gender and sexuality the only secrets being kept? Are we pretending that there are not adults who will exploit this….like they are still doing in schools now? (child trafficking, child abuse)
3. Have You ever taken your child to the pediatrician/doctor? I did. Regularly and frequently. There are a multitude of questions to answer about your child’s health.
What happens if a parent is unaware that a child is experimenting with some drug but medical professionals are not told? What about drug interactions? What about allergies?
Keeping secrets??? We are back to this again?
What kind of raggedy child safeguarding is this? The children could have come up with something better and safer.
Since not every parent can afford to homeschool their child, I truly fear for the families who are more financially disadvantaged.
The Fight is Being Fought
Some women have been fighting *mightily* in recent years to protect children. WE do not need more people asking “Where are the feminists?”
As if to say: “Hey sweetie, clean up on aisle 5.” Meanwhile, the mess occurred under the leadership of men. The same men who claimed women were too emotional and fragile to lead.
Women who care deeply about the welfare of children have had to fight these battles more covertly than the social media-driven world is comfortable with.
We are:
- mass blocked from writing government email accounts(even when our emails are reasonable & coming from reputable organizations)
- hung up on
- visited by the FBI
We need more brave voices.
Where are you?
Whether we record it for social media or not, women’s groups are doing what we always do. Protect Kids.
We are contacting California Governor Gavin Newsom to express concern for child safety around this bill.
According to the organization, Women Are Real, “staff are behaving in a rude manner & even hanging up on CA voters calling his office to politely express their opposition to School Secrecy Bill #AB1955”
Please Let Newsom know what you think. (916) 445-2841
Call and tell him to veto #AB1955
There are options, better & safer options, for protecting gay and questioning children than keeping secrets from their parents.
Note: the bill was approved the California General Assembly with a 60-15 vote. If you live in California, how did your representative vote?
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