Washington D.C., Feb 10, 2023 / 17:25 pm
Legislation that would require school officials to defer to parents when a student claims to be transgender passed the Republican-controlled Virginia House of Delegates this week, but it will now head to Democratic-controlled Senate committees.
House Bill 2432, known as “Sage’s Law,” would compel school officials to notify at least one of a student’s parents or guardians if that student informs them that he or she wants to be recognized as a gender that differs from his or her biological sex. The bill was named after a Virginia girl who was sex-trafficked after her school concealed her gender transition from her parents.
The legislation would also require parental consent prior to the school offering any gender-related counseling or taking any other measures to recognize the student as a different gender. The bill would also clarify that raising one’s child in accordance with his or her biological sex cannot be construed as child abuse under the law.
Under the proposed law, school counselors would not be allowed to coerce or encourage the student to withhold information related to his or her desire to transition to a gender that is inconsistent with his or her biological sex.