Overview
- U.S. District Judge Roger T. Benitez issued a class‑wide permanent injunction in Mirabelli v. Olson, finding parents have a Fourteenth Amendment right to be informed and teachers have First Amendment rights to disclose accurate information.
- The order blocks enforcement of policies that required withholding a student’s gender identity from parents and directs state training materials to state that parental notification and teacher disclosure are federally protected rights.
- The case was brought by Escondido teachers Elizabeth Mirabelli and Lori Ann West, represented by the Thomas More Society, who argued the directives compelled them to lie and violated their religious and speech rights.
- California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office filed an application to stay the injunction and signaled plans to appeal, arguing nonconsensual disclosure risks serious harm to transgender students.
- LGBTQ and civil‑rights groups, including the ACLU, warned the ruling could lead to forced outing of students, while differing federal rulings in California point to a fast‑moving appellate fight.