Elon Musk moves X, SpaceX out of California for banning schools from requiring parental notification
Billionaire Elon Musk will shift business operations for his companies X and SpaceX out of California, calling a new state law prohibiting school districts from requiring teachers to tell parents their children identify as members of the opposite sex "the final straw."
In a Tuesday post on X, his social media platform, Musk said that "because of this law and the many others that preceded it, attacking both families and companies, SpaceX will now move its HQ from Hawthorne, California, to Starbase, Texas."
Musk reposted another post expressing concern about California's Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom's approval of Assembly Bill 1955 Tuesday. The post shared by Musk asked the rhetorical question, "So the state is the parent now?"
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"I did make it clear to Governor Newsom about a year ago that laws of this nature would force families and companies to leave California to protect their children," Musk added.
In a follow-up post Tuesday, Musk indicated that the headquarters for X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, will also move to Texas, setting up a new office in Austin.
Musk commented on concerns about public safety in California and San Francisco in particular, remarking, "Have had enough of dodging gangs of violent drug addicts just to get in and out of the building."
Assembly Bill 1955 was approved by the Democrat-controlled California Senate in a 29-8 vote and the Democrat-controlled California Assembly in a 61-16 vote last month. Both votes fell along party lines, with all support for the measure coming from Democrats and all opposition coming from Republicans.
The legislation declares that employees and contractors of a "school district, county office of education, charter school, or state special school for the blind or the deaf shall not be required to disclose any information related to a pupil's sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression to any other person without the pupil's consent unless otherwise required by state or federal law."
Additionally, the bill condemns "policies that forcibly 'out' pupils without their consent," warning that they "remove opportunities for LGBTQ+ young people and their families to build trust and have these conversations when they are ready."
The measure comes in response to local school districts enacting policies requiring school officials to inform parents when their children express a desire to change their sexual orientation, gender identity and/or gender expression.
One district that has passed such a policy is the Chino Valley Unified School District. Sonja Shaw, a Christian mother who is president of the district's school board, has staunchly defended the policy by asserting that "No one's outing anybody."
"If a child is asking for the school district to now call them by another sex's name or go into the other sex's restroom, we will notify the parents," she said in a June video. She insisted that if a "kid is coming out," parents "have a right to know."
On Tuesday, China Valley Unified School District filed a lawsuit against the state, alleging the law violates the rights of parents. In a statement to The Associated Press, a spokesperson for Newsom said, "AB 1955 preserves the child-parent relationship" and "California law ensures minors can't legally change their name or gender without parental consent, and parents continue to have guaranteed and full access to their student's educational records consistent with federal law."
Parental notification policies like the one implemented in the Chino Valley Unified School District come at a time when school districts have faced lawsuits for keeping parents in the dark about efforts to "socially transition" their children.
At least 1,040 school districts nationwide, representing 18,335 schools with more than 10.7 million students, have policies that tell district personnel they can or should keep a student's gender identity status hidden from parents, according to an August 2023 report from the advocacy group Parents Defending Education.
In a May letter opposing Assembly Bill 1955, the parental rights advocacy group Students First California insisted that "notifying and involving parents in something as paramount as when a school takes an active role in socially transitioning a child is critical for the well-being of children and for maintaining trust between schools and parents."
Students First California President Jonathan Zachreson warned that the bill would do "the opposite by prohibiting schools from enacting or enforcing policies to bring parents into the process of supporting their own children and would strengthen policies meant to keep secrets from parents." He also predicted that if passed, the legislation would "erode trust between schools and parents and further exacerbate enrollment issues schools are facing."
LGBT advocacy group Riverside Pride praised AB 1955 as "a significant step forward in protecting the privacy and dignity of LGBTQ+ youth" that "addresses the critical need for safeguards that prevent the involuntary disclosure of a student's sexual orientation or gender identity, which can lead to devastating consequences, including discrimination, harassment, and even family rejection."
"Studies consistently show LGBTQ+ youth are overrepresented among young people experiencing homelessness, with mistreatment, fear of mistreatment or being kicked out due to their LGBTQ identity being some of the leading causes," Riverside Pride's statement reads.
The group contends that a "supportive and understanding school environment" has a "profound impact" on the "mental health and academic success of LGBTQ+ students," concluding that AB 1955 "not only reinforces California's commitment to equality and inclusion but also empowers educators to create a more respectful and safe atmosphere for all students to thrive."
Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: [email protected]
