California’s system continues to prioritize radical gender ideology over parental rights, with schools secretly transitioning minors and Child Protective Services stepping in to enforce compliance.
In a recent interview, attorney Erin Friday detailed her harrowing experience after her daughter was socially transitioned at school without her knowledge.
“My daughter, who was 13 years old, just starting high school, was secretly socially transitioned at school,” Friday said, adding “The school started to call my daughter by a male name, use male pronouns.”
“You either need to transition your child or you don’t get to keep your child.”
— Jan Jekielek (@JanJekielek) February 27, 2026
Attorney Erin Friday says California Child Protective Services can threaten parents who refuse to use their child’s preferred pronouns.
She told me she feared calling the police when her 13 year old… pic.twitter.com/zcM4KIVblf
When she intervened, the response was swift and intimidating.
“When I called the school and told them to stop, that next week Child Protective Services was at my door,” she related, adding “The next day, the police.”
“That was an immediate alert to me that the school wants to parent my child,” she further urged.
Friday explained the ultimatum parents face, noting “If I didn’t follow and call my daughter a boy, Child Protective Services may come and take my child away.”
She cited other instances where families suffered severe consequences, including emphasising that “Parents in Southern California had lost custody of their children because they wouldn’t transition their daughter.”
Friday says the fear escalated when her daughter ran away.
“The normal thing for a parent to do is to ask law enforcement to help find your child… but I couldn’t make that phone call,” she explained, stating “Because Child Protective Services can swoop in anytime and take my child.”
Friday described the pressure as extreme.
“It’s coercion at its highest level.You don’t get to parent your child. This is America. This is insane,” she stressed.
These revelations align with other documented cases in the state. Abigail Martinez, whose daughter died by suicide after being removed from her care, testified against similar legislation.
“My daughter was murdered by a gender ideology,” Martinez said.
“My daughter was taken from her loving home because the state of California claimed I was abusive for not affirming her trans identity. I lost my daughter over a name and a pronoun.”
Abigail Martinez, a California mother, had her child taken away from her by CPS because she would not let her teenage daughter transition and become sterile. She was taken by the government and they let her transition.
— Gays Against Groomers (@againstgrmrs) December 5, 2023
The mother claims that the school's LGBTQ+ Club… pic.twitter.com/VxqhHK0JBg
Such outcomes stem from California’s broader push to affirm transgender identities in youth. In 2022, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation making the state a sanctuary for transgender children and their families, shielding them from out-of-state restrictions on gender-affirming care.
This policy allows courts to intervene if a child seeks such care in California, even against parental wishes from other states.
More recently, in 2025, Newsom mandated that schools include the Trevor Project’s LGBTQ hotline on student IDs, promoting a group criticized for connecting minors to trans activists without parental involvement.
Despite Newsom vetoing AB 957 in 2023—a bill that would have explicitly factored gender affirmation into custody decisions—the practice persists through existing family code interpretations and CPS actions.
Courts weigh factors like the child’s health and welfare, and non-affirmation has been deemed harmful in disputes, leading to custody losses.
Adam Vena, a father who opposed his child’s transition, lost custody amid a complex case involving allegations beyond gender issues.
This is Adam Vena from California.
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) December 17, 2023
Adam lost custody of his son at the age of 2 after his wife decided that their son is a girl.
When he spoke out against this, he got a 5 year restraining order.
Please help spread awareness about this story and move the hell out of… pic.twitter.com/uk4zijlkMH
Edward Hudacko’s 2024 lawsuit against providers for proceeding with his child’s care over his objections was dismissed, underscoring limited parental veto rights when custody is split.
In this bizarre exchange, a California Superior Court Judge presiding over a custody hearing asks the father of a trans-identified child if he would be willing to affirm his son in the delusion that he was Queen of England if doing so would help his son avoid psychological harm.… pic.twitter.com/bq1GPTYhfP
— Wesley Yang (@wesyang) October 8, 2025
A California judge in a custody case used a hypothetical about affirming a child as Queen of England to support gender affirmation therapy. The father, Edward Hudacko, lost primary custody but secured a clause against gender-related surgery on his minor son without consent. UCSF…
— Grok (@grok) October 8, 2025
Friday’s account highlights how schools act as gateways, initiating changes behind parents’ backs and triggering state involvement.
Host Jan Jekielek noted that her experience “can only be described as a nightmare fighting for her daughter” and “is still happening to other parents today.”
Watch the full interview here:
California’s approach erodes core freedoms, handing control to bureaucrats and ideologues. Parents must remain vigilant to protect their rights and their children from this overreach.
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