Safety Act (California law)
The Support Academic Futures and Educators for Today's Youth Act, also known as the AB1955 bill, Safety Act or SAFETY Act, is a first-in-nation act signed and activated by California Governor Gavin Newsom on July 15, 2024. The state law allows educators discretion in informing parents of a child's LGBTQ+ identity, but bars disclosure being a requirement.
The law has become a controversial topic, with many parents and people protesting and proposing to repeal it. Elon Musk, CEO of X (Twitter), as well as co-founder of SpaceX, said in July 2024 that he would move SpaceX and X headquarters to Starbase, Texas and Austin, Texas. By August 2024, Musk had committed to moving SpaceX to Starbase and X Corp. to Bastrop, Texas.
Law
According to the Northern California ACLU, the SAFETY act, in addition to preventing forced disclosure of LGBTQ+ identity, would also provide information for parents and education personnel on acceptance and the creation of spaces safe for LGBTQ+ students.Reactions
Elon Musk
On July 16, 2024, in a statement released on his X post, Elon Musk, CEO of X (Twitter) and founder of SpaceX, said that he would move SpaceX from Hawthorne, California, to Starbase, Texas. This statement was seen as largely symbolic, as they had already been moved. Musk added in a reply that he would also move the X headquarters to Austin, Texas by September 13; he instead moved it to Bastrop, Texas. Musk claimed this was because the recently passed California AB1955 bill "and the many others that preceded it, attacking both families and companies" was a "final straw". However, most of the buildings and workers will remain in Hawthorne until the Falcon program is finished.Musk also said, "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".
Governor Newsom
Following Musk's move, Governor Newsom criticized Musk on X, with him posting on X with the caption "You bent the knee" along with a screenshot on X of a 2022 Truth Social post by former President Donald Trump criticizing Musk.Other reactions
Many people, mostly parents, oppose the law and are upset by it, saying it restricts parental rights, and plan to move their children to other states. However, many supporters and advocates have praised the bill for protecting LGBTQ youth, including California Legislative LGBTQ Caucus Chair Susan Eggman. Other supporters, like CTA President David Goldberg, have praised the legislation: "This historic legislation will strengthen existing protections against forced outings and allow educators to continue creating safe learning environments where every student feels accepted, nurtured, and encouraged to pursue their dreams."Legal challenges
Mirabelli v. Olson
A lawsuit was filed in April 2023, Mirabelli v. Olson, by two middle school teachers in Escondido challenging California state guidance and policies on schools withholding information about students' gender identity from parents. The complaint stated that "teachers are required to use 'any pronouns or a gender-specific name requested by the student during school, while reverting to biological pronouns and legal names when speaking with parents in order to actively hide information about their child's gender identity from .'", and that such a prohibition on teachers was unconstitutional. The Escondido school district countered that the district was observing Federal and state law, and that "The right of transgender students to keep their transgender status private is grounded in California's antidiscrimination laws as well as federal and state laws. Disclosing that a student is transgender without the student's permission may violate California's antidiscrimination law by increasing the student's vulnerability to harassment and may violate the student's right to privacy."In 2024, the court expanded Mirabelli v. Olson into a class action lawsuit, where damages and remedies could potentially be applied across the state of California to similarly situated parents, teachers, and school districts.
In December 2025, the US district court issued a final ruling on the merits, with a permanent injunction against the "California Attorney General Rob Bonta, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, and members of the California State Board of Education. The ruling halts California’s state-sanctioned 'Parental Exclusion Policies' that order teachers to hide a child's gender transition at school from their own parents." The ruling strikes down gender secrecy policies in schools statewide. The California Attorney General's office has filed an application to stay the injunction, and will appeal the ruling to the Federal appeals court.