State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, who oversees the Education Department, reinforced his support Thursday for the state law, which he said protects vulnerable children who are uncomfortable discussing their sexual orientation with their parents from being “outed” by the school.

In 2022, Newsom signed a bill making California a “ sanctuary ” for transgender-identifying children, allowing them and their families to flock to the state to obtain sex change procedures in order to skirt Republican-led state bans and parental consent laws.