# SAFETY Act (California law)

The Support Academic Futures and Educators for Today's Youth Act, also known as the SAFETY Act or the AB1955 bill, is an first-in-nation act signed and activated by California governor Gavin Newsom on July 15, 2024. The law prevents educators or schools from being required to disclose information related to students’ sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression to parents without a student's consent unless otherwise required by law. It also prohibits school districts from enacting or enforcing policies requiring such disclosures. In short, with the passage of the SAFETY Act, California became the first state to prohibit “forced outing policies.”
The law has become a controversial topic, with many parents and people protesting and proposing to repeal it, Elon Musk, CEO of X (formerly Twitter), as well as co-founder of SpaceX, shared that he will move SpaceX and X headquarters to Starbase, Texas (Brownsville, Texas) and Austin, Texas. Which he already did to SpaceX.

## Law

The SAFETY Act would do these things:
* Strengthen existing California protections against forced outings of LGBTQ+ students in schools.
* Provide critical supports and resources for parents and families of LGBTQ+ students to support families in working towards family acceptance on their own terms.
* Provide additional protections to educators who face retaliatory actions from administrators and school boards for seeking to create an inclusive and safe school environment.

## Reactions
### Elon Musk

   * Elon Musk
   * @elonmusk
   Replying to @Jason
   This is the final straw.
   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.
   July 16, 2024
   * Elon Musk
   * @elonmusk
   Replying to @elonmusk (the post above)
   And 𝕏 HQ will move to Austin
   July 16, 2024
On July 16, 2024, in a statement released on his X post, Elon Musk, CEO of X (formerly Twitter) and founder of SpaceX, said that he would move SpaceX from Hawthorne, California, to Starbase, Texas (or Brownsville, Texas), which he already did and was seen as largely symbolic, adding in a reply that he would also move the X headquarters (in San Francisco) to Austin, Texas, which he would do on September 13, Musk said this was because the recently passed California AB1955 bill "and the many others that preceded it, attacking both families and companies" and is a "final straw" But even so, moving thousands of employees and the entire company's facilities would be a costly undertaking. Even Tesla, the company Musk moved from Palo Alto, California in Silicon Valley to Austin, still operates a design studio, Fremont factory, and an engineering center in the state. This could mean that employees working in SpaceX's legal and finance departments would move to facilities at Starbase. However, most of the buildings and workers will remain in Hawthorne until the Falcon program is finished. Especially when in the context of X being banned by Brazil.
SpaceX also previously moved its incorporation from Delaware to Texas earlier this year after a Delaware judge declared his salary package at Tesla invalid.
Musk also said in the reply on the post that saif he would move to Starbase that: "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,"

### Governor Newsom

Following Musk's move, Governor Newsom then criticized Musk on X, with him posting on X with the caption "You bent the knee." along with a screenshot on X of a 2022 Truth Social post by former President Donald Trump criticizing Elon Musk below.

### Other reactions

Many people, mostly parents, oppose and are upset by the law, saying it restricts parental rights, and are planning to move their children to other states. However, many supporters and advocates have praised the bill for protecting LGBTQ youth, and the bill does not prohibit educators from talking to families about a student's gender identity or sexual orientation when deemed appropriate or necessary. It simply ensures that educators are not required to disclose this information to parents. Most California school districts do not currently require educators to disclose this information. For those districts, the new law does not change any existing procedures.
California Legislative LGBTQ Caucus Chair Susan Eggman praise the law then. Gays Against Groomers California then released a statement saying that the governor [Gavin Newsom] and the CA LGBTQ Group do not have the authority to take away parental rights. Notable supporters include State Superintendent of Instruction Tony Thurmond, the LGBTQ+ advocacy nonprofit The Trevor Project, the California School Employees Association and the California Teachers Association. Opponents include Moms for Liberty Santa Clara County, the Chino Valley Unified School District — which Bonta sued last year over its notification policy — and 16 Republican council members, including Bill Essayli, R-Corona, who proposed a bill last year that would have overturned the SAFETY Act and required schools to notify parents if their child identifies as transgender.
“This historic legislation will strengthen existing protections against forced outings and allow educators to continue creating safe learning environments where every student feels accepted, nurtured, and encouraged to pursue their dreams,” said CTA President David Goldberg.