Reject harmful AZ bill targeting LGBTQ+ youth and education

I am deeply troubled by the proposed legislation, AZ HB2657, which aims to strengthen parental rights in a way that could harm children's wellbeing and enable discrimination against LGBTQ+ youth. Allowing parents to shield children from education about gender identity and remove them from classes risks depriving kids of vital information and fostering stigma. Moreover, codifying parental control over medical decisions related to gender identity raises grave concerns about enabling so-called "conversion therapy" practices that are widely condemned by medical experts as unethical and psychologically damaging. Furthermore, this bill requires any public or private school employee to inform the legal guardians of a minor if that minor's gender identity does not match their sex assigned at birth, and inform other guardians if a student will share a bathroom or other facility with a trans student. It also mandates that school employees are not allowed to encourage any minor to keep their gender identity private rather than telling their legal guardians. A school would be open to civil liabilities for monetary damages for violation of this law. While respecting parental rights is important, the state also has a duty to protect children's mental and physical health. This bill threatens to undermine that obligation by emboldening parents to make decisions that disregard established medical guidance and their child's own identity and wellbeing. I urge you to reject this harmful legislation and instead pursue policies that safeguard all children's access to comprehensive, medically-accurate information and gender-affirming care proven to promote mental health. The rights of parents should not outweigh the fundamental rights and welfare of children.