California becomes first US state to recognize 'Transgender History Month'
'Transgender History Month' is set to be recognized for the first time in August 2024
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The California Assembly made history Wednesday after passing a resolution to recognize August as Transgender History Month, making the Golden State the first in the nation to take the progressive plunge.
"I believe that as Californians our strongest defense against the anti-trans agenda is just to tell the truth. Let’s tell the truth about transgender people’s lives, and let’s lift up the history of the transgender Californians who left their mark on our great state," said Assembly member Matt Haney, the San Francisco Democrat who authored the bill, according to FOX 40 in Sacramento.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}An unfurled transgender flag. California became the first state to recognize August as ‘Transgender History Month,' effective next year. (Alexander Pohl/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
The development comes amid a slew of outrage surrounding school gender policies in the state, including state Attorney General Rob Bonta's lawsuit against the Chino Valley Unified School District [CVUSD] Board of Education "to immediately halt the enforcement" of its mandatory gender identity disclosure policy.
A judge temporarily blocked the district from enforcing the policy on Wednesday.
Set to be initially recognized next year, Transgender History Month recognizes the contributions and history of the trans community while, in the hopes of some supporting the idea, raising awareness about the community's lived experiences.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Many Californians remain unaware of the real lives and experiences of transgender people, even here in California," Honey Mahogany, San Francisco's Democratic Party Chair, said per the FOX affiliate.
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California has become a haven for LGBTQ+ friendly policies. (Justin Sullivan/Justin Sullivan)
"We can change that through awareness, education, and outreach, and I believe that establishing a Transgender History Month in California is one way we can do just that."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Additionally, the measure's passage follows newly formed activist group Protect Kids California's petition for three 2024 ballot initiatives addressing transgender children in the Golden State, including one to prevent minors from receiving gender-affirming procedures or puberty blockers, a second aimed at requiring schools to disclose their child's gender identity selection to parents and a third would bar biological males from competing in girls' sports.
"This issue is affecting Democratic families and Republican families," Erin Friday, a Democrat and member of the group, told Fox News Tuesday. "Parents are losing their rights regardless of what party they're from."
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The state has become a haven for LGBTQ+ policies. Last year, for instance, the California Assembly passed a bill establishing the state as a "refuge" for transgender kids and their families.
Democratic state Sen. Scott Weiner said in a statement at the time that "California must stand with LGBTQ kids and their families, especially when they’re under attack across the country."
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Fox News' Joshua Q. Nelson contributed to this report.