A California Assemblyman has proposed legislation to allow children who have filed petitions to change their legal names and gender identities to have these records sealed.
Assembly Bill 223 (AB 223), the Transgender Youth Privacy Act, would amend the state’s health and safety code to require the petitions of anyone under 18 for name and gender changes and any documents associated with such proceedings to be sealed.
“Being ‘outed’ is a traumatic event for anyone—but especially traumatic for someone under the age of 18 years old,” Assemblyman Chris Ward (D-San Diego) said in a press release.
The bill, which is expected to be heard in committee as early at Feb. 10 according to legislative documents, would give transgender youth the confidence “to navigate their gender identity without fear of retaliation” from anyone who discovers information in public records, Ward said….