Calif. OKs third gender, protects religious liberty

Gov. Jerry Brown - Wikipedia

By David Roach - Posted at Baptist Press:

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (BP) -- Pro-family advocates are lamenting California Gov. Jerry Brown's approval Oct. 15 of a bill expanding rights for individuals identifying as transgender but celebrating his veto the same day of a measure that threatened religious liberty.

Brown, a Democrat, signed Senate Bill 179, which adds a third gender option on official state identification documents for those who reject the designation of male or female and opt instead to be considered "nonbinary." Among his vetoes, meanwhile, was Assembly Bill 569, which would have made it illegal for religious organizations to prohibit their employees from having abortions or engaging in sex outside marriage.

SB 179 will make California the first U.S. state allowing residents to identify their gender as "nonbinary" on birth certificates and state identification documents. The bill also will ease requirements for California natives to change the gender indicated on their birth certificates.

The California Family Council -- a partner organization of the California Southern Baptist Convention that engages public policy debates from a Christian worldview perspective -- called SB 179 "incredibly tragic" on Twitter.

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