lifornia governor signs ‘Seth’s Law’ anti-bullying measure, two transgender rights bills

California Governor Jerry Brown (D) on Sunday signed “Seth’s Law,” an anti-bullying measure aimed at giving public schools tools to prevent and address bullying through mandatory policies, and systems to help discourage harassment and track incidents when they do occur. The governor also signed two significant transgender rights bills.

The anti-bullying bill (AB 9), introduced by openly gay Assemblyman Tom Ammiano (D-San Francisco), is named for Seth Walsh, a 13-year-old gay teen who committed suicide in September 2010 after enduring years of bullying due to his sexual orientation.

The new law mandates that schools post anti-bullying policies throughout campuses, provide complaint forms on their websites, and give schools a timeline to investigate and resolve complaints.

Governor Brown has also signed into law two significant transgender rights bills.

The first measure, entitled the Gender Nondiscrimination Act (AB 887), makes “gender identity and expression” its own protected category at work, at school, in housing, at public accommodations, and in other settings. The second, the Vital Statistics Modernization Act (AB 433), makes it easier for transgender people to get a court-ordered gender change and updated birth certificate.