California adds 'Transgender History Month' to the LGBTQ+ calendar

California became the first state in the nation to make history with the trans-identifying community on Wednesday by officially recognizing the month of August as Transgender History Month.

The alleged goal of Transgender History Month, which will be celebrated for the first time next year, is to honor the contributions and heritage of the transgender community while also bringing attention to its members' actual experiences, according to Fox News.

The California Assembly passed a resolution that made the honorary month official after parental rights groups demanded that the state not undertake to transition children without parental knowledge or consent. Many parents in the state have opposed laws that bar educators from telling parents that their children are gender transitioning at school, as well as legislative changes that paint a parent's refusal to allow their children to undergo medical gender transition as abuse. 

Democrat Assembly member of San Francisco Matt Haney who authored the bill told Fox 40 following the resolution's passing: "I believe that as Californians our strongest defense against the anti-trans agenda is just to tell the truth. Let's tell the truth about transgender people's lives, and let's lift up the history of the transgender Californians who left their mark on our great state."

In addition, Honey Mahogany, San Francisco's Democratic Party Chair, told the outlet: "Many Californians remain unaware of the real lives and experiences of transgender people, even here in California."

"We can change that through awareness, education, and outreach, and I believe that establishing a Transgender History Month in California is one way we can do just that," she added.

California has developed into a safe haven for the LGBTQ+ community over the past few years. The California Assembly approved a law last year designating the state as a "refuge" for families and children who identify as transgender.

Most recently, Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a civil rights lawsuit against the Chino Valley Unified School District to stop its new policy requiring schools to inform parents about a student's gender transition and placed a temporary restraining order on the district.

Erin Friday, a Democrat assembly member, told Fox News: "This issue is affecting Democratic families and Republican families. Parents are losing their rights regardless of what party they're from."