The California legislature continues to disregard the rights of parents and ignore their religious beliefs regarding their children with the introduction of AB 1084, a bill that expedites the process for changing a person’s name and sex on official documents—including birth certificates and marriage licenses—based on “gender identity” rather than biological reality.
While author Assemblyman Rick Zbur (D-Beverly Hills) says the bill is a necessary response to efforts making it “harder for transgender people to live safely and openly as their authentic selves,” it is in fact a profound assault on both truth and parental rights. AB 1084 is not just another procedural update; not only does it further legitimize the false idea that sex is a choice, but it’s designed to sideline the very people God has charged with the care and guidance of children: their parents.
Biological Reality Can’t Be Legislated Away
Let’s begin with the obvious but increasingly controversial truth: a person cannot change their sex. Sex is not “assigned at birth”—it is observed and recorded. It is an immutable, biological reality encoded in every cell of our bodies. It is not up for revision with a court order or a fill-in-the-blank on a government form.
But AB 1084 expedites this legal fiction, compelling courts to issue approval for name and sex changes to reflect not biological sex, but subjective gender identity within two weeks.
The Real Target: Parental Authority
While the entire premise of the bill is flawed, its most egregious offense is against parents.
AB 1084 claims to honor parental rights by requiring both living parents to approve a minor’s request to change their name and sex on legal documents. But this is a bait and switch. If one parent objects, the court will only consider the objection valid if it demonstrates “good cause.” And what is explicitly not good cause? Belief in biological sex.
You read that right. Under AB 1084, a court must disregard a parent’s objection if it is based on the belief that their child’s proposed gender identity does not align with their biological sex. In other words, if you believe—scientifically, morally, or religiously—that sex is binary and unchangeable, your views are disqualified from legal consideration.
This isn’t just bad policy. It’s discriminatory, unconstitutional, and tyrannical.
A Constitutional Crisis
The U.S. Supreme Court has long upheld the fundamental right of parents to direct the upbringing of their children. In Pierce v. Society of Sisters (1925), the Court declared: “The child is not the mere creature of the state.” And in Troxel v. Granville (2000), the Court reaffirmed that “the interest of parents in the care, custody, and control of their children… is perhaps the oldest of the fundamental liberty interests recognized by this Court.”
Yet AB 1084 places the state as arbiter of a child’s identity over and above the rights of parents. It effectively says: “Parents, you can raise your child—unless your views clash with state-endorsed gender ideology.”
This is an ideological test for parental rights. And it must be resisted.
A Slippery and Dangerous Precedent
Once the state arrogates to itself the power to nullify parental objections rooted in deeply held religious or biological convictions, where does it stop?
- Will it override a parent’s objection to irreversible medical procedures?
- Will it compel schools to keep secrets from parents about their children’s gender identity?
- Will it use the denial of “affirmation” as grounds to remove children from their homes
A False Solution to Real Pain
The advocates of AB 1084 claim that this bill is about protecting transgender and nonbinary individuals from discrimination. But true compassion never requires us to lie. A government that redefines reality to affirm feelings is not protecting anyone—it’s merely swapping one kind of harm for another.
Children, especially minors struggling with gender confusion, need truth, not affirmation of delusion. They need wise, loving guidance—especially from parents, not judges. By empowering minors to legally alter their identity with minimal pushback, California encourages life-altering decisions without adequate reflection or maturity.
And these changes are not harmless. Once legal documents are changed, it can set off a domino effect leading to puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and irreversible surgeries—often before a child’s brain is even fully developed.
What Must Be Done
California Family Council stands firmly opposed to AB 1084 and any law that undermines biological truth and parental authority. We urge the legislature to reject this bill and call on citizens to raise their voices in protest.
We are also calling on constitutional lawyers and religious liberty advocates to prepare challenges to this legislation should it pass. It will not stand the test of judicial scrutiny—and it certainly will not stand the test of time.
A Final Word to Parents
If you’re a parent in California, let AB 1084 be your wake-up call. The state wants a say in your child’s identity—and they’re willing to legislate you out of the equation to get it.
You must speak up. You must stay informed. And most importantly, you must parent with conviction. The future of your family—and our state—depends on it.
Action Steps:
This bill has already passed the Assembly Judiciary and Health Committees and now sits in the Assembly Appropriations Committee with a hearing planned for Wednesday, May 14.
Contact the members of this committee and request a no vote. See the committee list here.
