‘Utterly horrifying’: Virginia Democrat ripped for plan to criminalize parents opposed to gender transitions
A parent activist group blasted a Virginia state legislator who is seeking legislation to bring child abuse criminal charges against parents who oppose their children’s gender transitions.
Virginia Delegate Elizabeth Guzman (D) told WJLA Thursday that she would introduce a bill in the next legislative session that would expand the state’s definition of child abuse and neglect to include parents who do not “affirm” their child’s preferred gender identity or sexual orientation. Parents charged under the proposed statute could face felony charges and would lose custody of their children.
Guzman said that she plans to introduce the bill in direct response to new state policies proposed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-VA) last month that would require schools to accommodate all students based on their biological sex. Any student who wishes to be addressed by a different name or pronouns or use bathroom facilities that do not correspond to their biological sex must have written permission from their parent.
YOUNGKIN DEFENDS POLICIES ON TRANSGENDER STUDENTS, SAYS PARENTS MUST BE INCLUDED
In a statement, the parent activist group Parents Defending Education Action called Guzman’s comments “alarming” and said the delegate’s comments amounted to a “threat.”
“Guzman’s commitment to cleaving children from their parents is unconscionable and it violates both state and federal law,” the organization said. “PDE Action commits to taking swift action to oppose Guzman’s forthcoming legislation.”
The Virginia Republican Party likewise condemned Guzman, saying, “Democrats’ message for Virginia is clear: embrace far-left gender theory or they will take your kids away from you.”
The proposal also drew the attention of several national politicians, including Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), who said Guzman’s proposal was “utterly horrifying.”
“These zealots think they are your children’s parents, and they’ll put you in jail if you disagree,” Cruz wrote in a tweet.
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The bill has little chance of becoming law with Virginia’s divided government. The House of Delegates is controlled by Republicans, the state Senate by Democrats, and Youngkin is a Republican.
