In California, conservatives attempted to compel all schools to expel transgender students. They simply weren’t successful. | LGBTQNation

This blog originally appeared at LGBTQ NATION.

LGBTQ+ activists are having a party.

Conservative activists in California are frustrated that their bill, which would have mandated that schools accept transgender students, did not receive enough signatures to be included on the ballot in November.

“We would have easily qualified for the ballot if we had a little more time and a little more money,” the initiative’s leader, Roseville school board member Jonathan Zachreson, told the LA Times.

If the bill had been approved, schools would have been obligated to notify parents if a student adopted a new pronoun or nickname while attending class, or if they requested to use facilities unrelated to their official sex. The bill also forbade the state from providing kids with care that is gender affirming.

Although some states have already implemented similar policies, California has traditionally supported young people who identify as transgender. Governor Gavin Newsom (D) signed legislation in 2022 designating the state as a safe haven for transgender minors and their families.

According to Zachreson, the measure’s campaign gathered $200,000 to assist in obtaining the 546,651 signatures required for it to be placed on the ballot. However, the campaign had only collected 400,000 signatures before yesterday’s deadline.

The activists wanted the ballot measure to be named the “Protect Kids of California Act of 2024,” despite the fact that their initiative would have jeopardized the safety of trans children with unsupportive parents who might abuse or kick them out of the house if they discover they have not been adhering to their assigned sex while attending school. Earlier this year, the activists sued California Attorney General Rob Bonta (D) for naming their ballot measure the “Restricts Rights of Transgender Youth Initiative.”

The judge dismissed the case after originally siding with Bonta, stating that the measure’s name, “Restrict Rights of Transgender Youth Initiative,” accurately describes it.

LGBTQ+ activists, meanwhile, applauded the measure’s defeat.

Equality California Executive Director Tony Hoang released a statement saying, “We are relieved that anti-LGBTQ+ extremists have failed to reach the required signature threshold to qualify their anti-transgender ballot initiatives to the November 2024 ballot.” “Equality California will not stop fighting for the rights of LGBTQ+ youth around the globe and opposing any and all attempts by radical organizations to discriminate against them.”