*Elon Musk plans to relocate SpaceX headquarters from California, citing a new state law that he claims is “attacking both families and companies.”
The billionaire tech giant announced on X (formerly Twitter) that he intends to pull his companies out of the state in response to new legislation that California’s Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law on Monday—AB1955, also known as Support Academic Futures and Educators for Today’s Youth (SAFETY) Act, Newsweek reports.
The law prohibits the parental notification of a child’s desire to be transgender. It bans “school districts from enacting forced outing policies” of students with gender dysphoria.
It will also provide “resources for parents and students to manage conversations about gender and identity privately” and protect “teachers and school staff from retaliation if they refuse to forcibly out a student,” according to Assemblymember Chris Ward, who introduced the legislation.
The SAFETY Act faces criticism for allowing the government and schools to make the call to “socially transition” a child without parental involvement.
“If a child is struggling with their mental health – their parents have a right to know. Teachers are paid to educate, not to raise or provide health care. This bill is a disaster,” one X user wrote, noting that it is an “attack on families.”
Another X user added, “Anytime another adult is trying to hide information about your child from you, its because they are a pedophile and are trying to groom your child.”
Assemblymember Josh Hoover tweeted, “Parental rights have been under attack in California for many years. We saw it most acutely during the pandemic when Governor Newsom imposed the longest school shutdowns in the nation,” he wrote. “Now he has signed #AB1955, which shields teachers who actively hide information from parents.”
Musk believes the law is an attack on families in the state.
“This is the final straw,” he wrote. “Because of this law and the many others that preceded it, attacking both families and companies, SpaceX will now move its HQ from Hawthorne, California, to Starbase, Texas.”
Thank you @CAgovernor for signing our #1 priority bill #AB1955, SAFETY Act, into law. This ensures we are protecting LGBTQ+ students from forced outings and supporting families in working on family acceptance on their own terms.
Press Release:https://t.co/ziVsjzX08x pic.twitter.com/tlX0sSaeq4
— California Legislative LGBTQ Caucus (@calgbt) July 15, 2024
In a follow-up post, Musk said he warned Newsom that companies would flee California if the SAFET Act became law.
“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,” he said.
Musk also said he plans to move the social media platform X to Austin, Texas.
“As a public school elementary teacher, the thought of hiding information from parents, whom I’ve considered my partners in teaching their children, makes absolutely no sense,” wrote one X user. “Every important decision a child makes up to age 18 should be made with the guidance of their parents. Parenting is the hardest job and this just made it harder.”
The Liberty Justice Center filed a lawsuit to declare California AB1955 unconstitutional.
“We have filed a lawsuit challenging #AB1955,” the organization tweeted.
“School officials do not have the right to keep secrets from parents, but parents do have a constitutional right to know what their minor children are doing at school. Parents are the legal guardians of their children—NOT Newsom, Bonta, or Thurmond,” the group said. “We will continue to defend parents’ rights and children’s well-being by challenging invasive laws like AB 1955 in court, at no cost to taxpayers.”
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