Repost from The Virginia Star.
Virginia Democrat State Delegate Elizabeth Guzman has backed down from introducing a bill that would have expanded the definition of child abuse to include parents inflicting “physical or mental injury” on children due to their gender identity or sexual orientation.
The Epoch Times reports that Guzman first began drafting such legislation in order to counter Virginia GOP Governor Glenn Youngkin’s transgender policies in which parents of transgender children had to be made aware if their child wanted to transition or go by a different name at school.
“The day that Gov. Youngkin wanted to implement this policy, I immediately texted the policy lead of that committee and said, this is how we’re going to push back,” Guzman told 7News. The interview about Guzman’s planned legislation with 7News was on Thursday and the backlash was almost immediate as the story went national.
“Children are scared. Governor Youngkin and Republicans are putting LGBTQ kids at serious risk of harm and homelessness by encouraging schools to out children to their parents,” Guzman said in a tweet on Friday.
A spokeswoman for Gov. Youngkin responded, “It’s clear that the goal of Democrat lawmakers in Virginia is to criminalize parents who are trying to be involved in their children’s lives. Children belong to families not to the state and Virginians can count on Governor Youngkin to continue empowering parents in the Commonwealth.”