Parental rights advocates are warning about a new California law that could expose LGBT-identified youth to online predators.

Have you taken your place on the wall?

View Comments (1)

AB 727, signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Oct. 10 in honor of World Mental Health Day, mandates that student ID cards for public middle schools, high schools and colleges include contact information for The Trevor Project, an LGBT activist group and suicide prevention organization whose online platform, TrevorSpace, has raised alarms over inadequate age verification and moderation. While the bill aims to provide mental health support, opponents argue it could inadvertently put children at risk.

The legislation, authored by Assemblymember Mark González, D-Los Angeles, builds on California’s 2018 suicide prevention ID card law by adding The Trevor Project’s hotline number to student IDs. According to The Trevor Project, 35% of gay, lesbian and transgender-identified youth in California seriously considered suicide in the past year, and half of those seeking mental health care were unable to access it. The law seeks to ensure students have immediate access to crisis support.

“Every student deserves to feel safe, supported, and seen for who they are,” Newsom said. “While some in Washington turn their backs on [LGBT-identified] youth, California is choosing compassion over cruelty. AB 727 makes it clear: your identity doesn’t disqualify you from care and community — it’s exactly why we are fighting to make it easier to reach.”

Calling it a “lifeline for our queer youth,” González added, “When [President] Donald Trump and the federal government turn their backs on [LGBT-identified] youth, California steps up. With the signing of AB 727, we’re sending a clear message: our [LGBT-identified] youth are seen, valued, and never alone.”

Billed by state lawmakers as the “leading suicide prevention and crisis intervention nonprofit organization” for LGBT-identified youth, The Trevor Project has faced criticism from conservative groups for providing LGBT propaganda curriculum for public schools, including one activity adopted by the Vista Unified School District (VUSD) in San Diego, where students were reportedly required to participate in a role-playing exercise called “Coming Out Stars.” The activity instructed students to imagine “each of you is now gay or lesbian, and you are about to begin your coming out process.

However, concerns center on TrevorSpace, which is described as “a welcoming online social community for [LGBT-identified] young people between the ages of 13-24 years old. With over 400,000 members across the globe, you can find support groups and make friends in a moderated online safe space intentionally designed for you.”

Critics, including the California Family Council (CFC), law enforcement, and educators, argue that the platform’s lack of robust age verification and limited moderation creates risks for exploitation.

Brenda Lebsack, a Santa Ana Unified School District trustee, has warned that parents have called TrevorSpace a “pedophile’s paradise” after posing as a 13-year-old and gaining access to groups like “the Gay Men’s Club – Let’s Talk about Boys” and “The Witchcraft Club” without verification.

“I saw with my own eyes that Trevor Project is putting kids in harm’s way through TrevorSpace by connecting minors with unfettered random adults on an international virtual platform to explore their genders and sexualities, and this is dangerous for our most vulnerable kids who identify as [LGBT-identified],” Lebsack wrote in a recent Interfaith 4 Kids article.

In a June letter to the California Senate Education Committee, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco confirmed Lebsack’s allegation, noting that a department member in his 40s registered on TrevorSpace as a 13-year-old and accessed private chats, “By referencing or indirectly legitimizing TrevorSpace as a mental health support system, AB 727 opens a statutory backdoor to allow unvetted digital access to minors, without parental notification or oversight,” wrote Bianco.

The Christian Post reached out to The Trevor Project for comment Monday.

CFC Vice President Greg Burt said such dire warnings from public officials should compel officials to act quickly. “True compassion never exposes children to harm. Our government is telling hurting kids that their feelings define reality, while sending them into online spaces where predators are waiting,” said Burt. “These young people don’t need adults to affirm their confusion. They need adults who will protect them, point them to truth, and remind them that their lives are precious because they are made in the image of God.”

What do you think of this bill? Share your thoughts and prayers below.

This article was originally published at The Christian Post. Photo Credit: Maria Sbytova/Canva Teams.