Commonwealth Policy Center

Virginia delegate Elizabeth Guzman plans to introduce a bill that would expand the definition of child abuse to include parents refusing to transition their children to the opposite gender. If this law passes, children would be able to report their parents to child protective services, and the parents could face criminal charges. In response to the criticism that this law criminalizes parents, Delegate Guzman said, “No, it’s not. It’s educating parents because the law tells you the dos and don’ts. So this law is telling you do not abuse your children because they are LGBTQ.” Guzman’s radical proposal is alarming. Her brashness will likely wake parents up to the possibility of gross overreach by the state and remind us that minor children cannot and should not have the right to sue parents simply for parenting.