{"id":368563,"date":"2026-06-20T18:59:12","date_gmt":"2026-06-20T18:59:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/368563\/"},"modified":"2026-06-20T18:59:12","modified_gmt":"2026-06-20T18:59:12","slug":"court-blocks-california-gender-secrecy-law-in-huntington-beach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/368563\/","title":{"rendered":"Court blocks California gender secrecy law in Huntington Beach"},"content":{"rendered":"

A California law<\/a> that bars schools from telling parents if their child comes out as transgender<\/a> has been temporarily blocked after a federal appeals court sided with a conservative Southern California city challenging the measure.<\/p>\n

The Ninth Circuit\u2019s ruling marks a dramatic turnaround in a legal fight between the state and Huntington Beach, which has argued that parents have a right to know about changes related to their children\u2019s sexual orientation or gender identity.<\/p>\n

The ruling marks a dramatic turnaround in a legal fight between the state and Huntington Beach. Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Ninth Circuit\u2019s decision is a powerful vindication of parental rights,\u201d said Nick Barry, senior counsel at the Trump-aligned America First Legal, which represented the city of Huntington Beach.<\/p>\n

\u201cCalifornia cannot use state law to force schoolteachers and administrators into a conspiracy of silence against parents,\u201d he declared.<\/p>\n

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The order for now blocks a state law signed by\u00a0Gov. Gavin Newsom<\/a>\u00a0in July 2024 that made California the first state to bar school districts from requiring staff to notify parents of their child\u2019s gender identification.<\/p>\n

Huntington Beach city council was aghast when Newsom signed the law. The city decided to respond by passing a \u201cParents Right to Know\u201d ordinance<\/a> that requires teachers to inform parents of their children\u2019s sexual orientation and gender identification.<\/p>\n

The Ninth Circuit said the Supreme Court case meant that Huntington Beach is \u201clikely to succeed on the merits of their constitutional claim.\u201d SOPA Images\/LightRocket via Getty Images<\/p>\n

The ordinance was intended to push back against state Democrats who argued that \u201couting\u201d a child\u2019s sexual identity to family members could be harmful. Getty Images<\/p>\n

The ordinance was intended to push back against state Democrats who argued that \u201couting\u201d a child\u2019s sexual identity to family members could be harmful, according to then-Mayor Gracey Van Der Mark.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis call for an Ordinance represents the city taking a stand against Sacramento\u2019s overreach in its blatant invasion of the parent-child relationship,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The city later sued the state, but a federal court in 2025 denied Huntington Beach\u2019s request for an emergency order blocking the law. A lower court also ruled that the city lacked standing to sue.<\/p>\n

Everything changed, however, when this year, the US Supreme Court in another court case<\/a> blocked the California law and said \u201cparents\u2014not the State\u2014have primary authority with respect to the upbringing and education of children.\u201d<\/p>\n

In its latest decision<\/a>, the Ninth Circuit said the Supreme Court case meant that Huntington Beach is \u201clikely to succeed on the merits of their constitutional claim.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis decision is a direct result of the courage of our clients who challenged California\u2019s gender secrecy regime back in 2023,\u201d said Paul M. Jonna, special counsel for the Thomas More Society, which was involved in the Supreme Court case.<\/p>\n

Newsom and other California Democrats <\/a>have expressed displeasure with the Supreme Court decision and are still continuing to fight<\/a> the implications of it.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe shadow docket ruling by the Supreme Court undermines student privacy and the ability to learn in a safe and supportive classroom, free from discrimination based on gender identity,\u201d the governor had said in a statement.<\/p>\n

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