Golden State Today

State Superintendent Thurmond Celebrates Passage of LGBTQ+ Legislation for Safe and Supportive Learning Environments for All Students; Bill Awaits Governor’s Signature

Jul 2, 2024

AB 1955 would make California the first state to prohibit forced outing policies in schools. SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond today applauded the passage of AB 1955: Support Academic Futures and Educators for Today’s Youth Act (SAFETY Act) by the California Legislature to ensure all students have access to safe and supportive learning environments regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. The bill, which was supported by Superintendent Thurmond, has gone to Governor Gavin Newsom’s desk for his signature to become law.

AB 1955, The SAFETY Act, was introduced by Assemblymember Chris Ward (D-San Diego) and co-authored by State Senator Susan Talamantes Eggman, Vice-Chair and Chair of the California Legislative LGBTQ+ Caucus, along with co-authors and Assembly Members Al Muratsuchi, Sabrina Cervantes, Corey Jackson, Alex Lee, Evan Low, and Rick Chavez Zbur, and State Senators Toni Atkins, John Laird, Caroline Menjivar, Susan Rubio, Scott Wiener and Steve Padilla. The bill was supported by Superintendent Thurmond, who has actively worked to push back against extremist attacks on the privacy rights of students who are LGBTQ+.

In the wake of the increasing number of school districts passing forced-outing policies, students and parents alike have reached out to Superintendent Thurmond and the California Department of Education to voice significant concerns about the safety of LGBTQ+ students.

The SAFETY Act prohibits and invalidates any adopted school board policy, rule, or administrative regulation that requires forced outings. The SAFETY Act does not limit students’ and parents’ ability to discuss gender identities within their own families in the manner that they choose. The Act states that a school employee shall not be required to disclose any information related to a pupil’s LGBTQ+ identity to any other person without the pupil’s consent unless otherwise required by state or federal law. The Act does not limit a parent’s ability to request school records.

According to a 2024 survey conducted by the Trevor Project, 90 percent of young people who are LGBTQ+ report that their well-being has been negatively impacted by recent politics. Nearly half of LGBTQ+ youth ages thirteen to seventeen report experiencing bullying within the past year, and those who did report significantly higher rates of attempting suicide.

The SAFETY Act provides critical resources for parents, guardians, and families of LGBTQ+ students to navigate conversations around gender and identity on their own terms and ensures teachers or school staff are not retaliated against for refusing to forcibly out a student.

“I am proud to work alongside our legislators who have courageously championed the privacy rights of our most vulnerable students," Thurmond said. "This is a major step forward for the rights of students and families." He added that it is "a reason to celebrate with our LGBTQ+ community this Pride Month."

“All of our students deserve to be safe at school in order to learn and thrive,” he continued. “Our LGBTQ+ youth need to be protected from bullying and harassment at school.”

Transgender youth are entitled to safe school environments free from discrimination. According to a 2024 Trevor Project survey, LGBTQ+ youth who report living in very accepting communities attempt suicide at less than half the rate of those who report living in very unaccepting communities.

Since 2020, six states have passed laws requiring school staff to forcibly out transgender students while five states have passed legislation promoting such outings in schools.

Superintendent Thurmond has consistently worked to defend the rights of LGBTQ+ students and educators. In 2019, he co-sponsored a bill with Equality California Institute encouraging teachers' training on supporting resources available for LGBTQ+ students facing bullying or lack of acceptance at home or school. As a result last year CDE partnered with Los Angeles County Office of Education leading trainings for teachers with essential resources needed for helping California's LGBTQ+ students.

Thurmond also sponsored SB 760 All-Gender Restrooms (Newman), requiring all K–12 schools in California provide equitable access restrooms during school hours; AB 5 Safe Supportive Schools Act (Zbur), mandating training support pupils statewide K-12 schools

Thurmond is currently creating an LGBTQ+ Statewide Advisory Task Force (LGBTQ SAT) due Senate Bill 857(Laird). This task force will identify needs make recommendations assist implementing supportive policies initiatives addressing student education well-being reporting findings January 2026 More information supporting available CDE Supporting web page