California gender-secrecy law for students suffers legal defeat
A federal appeals court temporarily blocked California's law preventing schools from informing parents about their child's transgender identification, siding with Huntington Beach.
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals sided with Huntington Beach in Southern California, which has maintained that parents possess a fundamental right to be informed about changes concerning their children’s sexual orientation or gender identity, as New York Post reports.
Nick Barry, senior counsel at America First Legal, which represented Huntington Beach in the case, characterized the decision as a major win for families. The Trump-aligned legal organization argued that state government cannot compel educators to withhold critical information from parents.
The ruling blocks enforcement of legislation signed by Governor Gavin Newsom in July 2024, which made California the first state in the nation to prohibit school districts from mandating that staff notify parents about their child’s gender identification.
Huntington Beach city council responded to Newsom’s action by enacting a “Parents Right to Know” ordinance requiring teachers to inform parents about their children’s sexual orientation and gender identification. The measure was designed to counter state Democrats who contended that revealing a child’s sexual identity to family members could cause harm.
Former Mayor Gracey Van Der Mark defended the ordinance as necessary pushback against state overreach into the parent-child relationship.
The city subsequently filed suit against the state, but a federal court in 2025 initially denied Huntington Beach’s emergency request and ruled the city lacked legal standing.
The legal landscape shifted dramatically when the United States Supreme Court ruled in a separate case this year that parents hold primary authority over the upbringing and education of children, not the state.
Citing that Supreme Court precedent, the Ninth Circuit determined that Huntington Beach is likely to prevail on the constitutional merits of its claim.
Paul M. Jonna, special counsel for the Thomas More Society, which participated in the Supreme Court case, credited the clients who challenged what he termed California’s gender secrecy regime beginning in 2023.
Newsom and California Democrats have expressed strong opposition to the Supreme Court decision and continue fighting its implications. The governor issued a statement claiming the ruling undermines student privacy and the ability to learn in a safe, supportive classroom environment free from gender identity discrimination.
With information from New York Post
