On Thursday April 6th, the Chino Valley Unified School Board of Education held a meeting in regards to the debate of approving controversial Assembly Bill 1314. It was passed with a vote of 4-1. This bill would require school districts to ‘out’ transgender students to their parents within 3 days of learning that the student identifies as a gender other than what is labeled on their birth certificate.

With this bill affecting many students across the different high schools within the district, the news of it being discussed for the Chino Valley Unified School District (CVUSD) led many students to feel upset and confused.

“I don’t think people understand how much this will affect [students],” Austin Pak (12) said. “This adds more pressure for people to ally and speak up for those who they are trying to erase.”

At the meeting, alumni from schools within the district, students, and parents spoke out on both sides of the argument as there were mixed views on how it would affect students and their family lives. Many students felt as though this wasn’t an issue that should be decided by schools and instead a topic that they would discuss with their parents when they were ready. However, many parents at the meeting supported the passing of the bill as they expressed their right to know as parents the changes within their child and the school’s responsibility to inform such matters. 

“Each student has a completely unique domestic situation and if they’re not comfortable coming out to their parents, there’s a reason why,” Kaitlyn Uesugi (11) said. “It’s not about ‘keeping secrets,’  it’s about parents giving their children a reason to be scared of revealing their identity.”

As LGBTQIA+ and transgender topics become de-stigmatized among younger generations, this bill became seen as an active attack to those who were still discovering themselves whether that be identifying with a different sexual orientation or different gender. 

“If I was to come out to my parents and family in general, I would really hate it if this is how it had to happen,” one student said. 

A follow-up Instagram post by a Chino High School student, that was later spread among students within the district, clarified that students within the CVUSD are still in a safe environment as of right now. 

“Although the board voted 4-1 on a resolution for this bill, IT IS NULL,” the post stated. “What this vote did is say that the board voted majority in favor to send a resolution for the bill to Sacramento…This is not definitive and will not happen unless the bill is passed in Sacramento.” 

The publishing of the post had made more students at ease with there being no parental notifications and action currently, but some still feel uneasy on how this may arise again in the following months. As this assembly bill is still in discussion within legislation, it is unknown whether it will officially be taken into effect in the upcoming years. 

“I’m not just concerned about this bill alone. It’s the future legislature that this bill would pave the way for, further diminishing the rights of transgender youth,” Uesugi said.