Jordan Peterson has stated in a social media post that Caitlyn Jenner "paved the way" for California Assembly Bill 957 (AB 957), part of which would see parents' custody affected by whether they affirm their child's chosen gender.
Amid a rise of anti-trans sentiment across the U.S., AB 957 has sparked opposition in recent weeks. Some detractors have gone as far as to say that if parents don't affirm their child's chosen gender, they could be charged with child abuse.
Per the bill text, which was authored by 11th District Assemblywoman Lori Wilson, AB 957 "would include a parent's affirmation of the child's gender identity as part of the health, safety, and welfare of the child."
Other criteria would include the amount of contact a child has with a parent, as well as the nature of the contact. The bill, said Wilson, is meant for the protection of trans youth.
Republican Jennerwho ran in a 2021 race to replace California's Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom, but gained just 1 percent of the votehas publicly declared her opposition to the bill.
Taking to Twitter recently, the 1976 Olympic decathlon gold medalist, who came out as transgender in 2015, wrote: "Heartbreaking emails sent to my office, more and more frequently, after parents are losing their young child being transitioned by another parent, after the parents divorce."
"Laws like CA AB 957 are horrifying govt overreach!" Jenner concluded.
"And your stunningly well-marketed transition paved the way, my dear @Caitlyn_Jenner," tweeted Canadian psychologist and media personality Peterson in response. Peterson has made headlines in the past for refusing to refer to people by their chosen gender pronouns.
Assemblywoman Wilson defended the bill in mid-June, saying that it would seek to protect children from being in the custody of a parent who is openly antagonistic and not supporting of them. She also said that a parent affirming their child's chosen gender would not supersede other factors in a custody dispute.
"It is not taking away any other factor," Wilson explained, per CBS News. "If a parent is abusive to their child, I don't care what name they use for their child, I don't care with what pronouns they use. That child should not be with that parent."
"We are giving judges tools by which to measure health, safety and welfare," she went on. "This is not intended to create a sliding scale for a parent that is affirming their children. It should be one of the factors, not the factor."
"No one is out to get your kids," Wilson added. "No one is out to force your kids to be anything they shouldn't be. It's about really protecting children who are caught up in the family court system from a parent that is antagonistic or non-affirming."
Jenner's comments on AB 957 come several weeks after she said the number of people openly identifying as transgender is "skyrocketing" at a "disturbing" rate, blaming "indoctrination" and an "oversaturation of the topic."
In a since-deleted tweet, conservative YouTuber Blaire White, who is also transgender, recently wrote: "'There is a trans genocide!!' they screamed as the trans population literally skyrockets globally."
"And skyrocketing at levels we have never seen before!" Jenner said in agreement. "Insane!!! Disturbing in fact!"
Responding to Jenner's statement, one Twitter user proposed that there were two "likely possibilities: They are causing gender dysphoria in young people through social contagion. They are mis-diagnosing young people with other issues as having gender dysphoria."
"Agreedit's become a type of 'fix all' almost," Jenner wrote back.
"There's a Munchausen's by proxy thing going on where mentally [ill] parents and teachers are transferring their need to be seen as special onto their unsuspecting children," another Twitter user chimed in during the discussion.
"Indoctrination and oversaturation of the topicled by the radical leftists to destroy the family unit to create bigger govt," Jenner replied. "I obviously believe trans is realbut very very very rare, not the numbers we are seeing today."
Fox News contributor Jenner has been an outspoken critic of transgender women competing in sports against other women. She stepped up her efforts in April, with the launch of an initiative called Fairness First. The political action committee describes itself as "a big tent movement, non-partisan in nature, with the intention of protecting women and girls in sportespecially in light of recent events with radical gender ideology."
Oli London, a British influencer who previously identified as transracial, gender neutral and transgender, serves as a spokesperson for Fairness First.
Meanwhile, Peterson has faced backlash for comments he has made regarding gender. In July 2022, his Twitter account was suspended indefinitely after he refused to apologize for comments he made about trans actor Elliot Page. It was later reinstated when Elon Musk took over the social media platform.
Earlier this month, Peterson accused transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney of "parodying women" in a way that "makes blackface appear loving." Days later, he mocked Demi Lovato on social media over her return to using she/her pronouns after announcing that she would be going by nonbinary they/them pronouns.
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Jordan Peterson Says Caitlyn Jenner 'Paved the Way' for Trans Children Bill - Newsweek