Change of gender and sex identifier.

Existing law authorizes a person to file a petition with the superior court seeking a judgment recognizing their change of gender to female, male, or nonbinary. Under existing law, if the person whose gender is to be changed is under 18 years of age, the petition is required to be signed by at least one of the minor's parents or a guardian or attorney of the minor, or if both parents are deceased and there is no guardian of the minor, by a near relative or friend of the minor. Under existing law, to be operative January 1, 2023, if the petition does not include a signature from one of those persons, the court is required to make an order directing the person or persons whose required signatures are not on the petition to show cause why the petition should not be granted by filing a written objection, as specified. This bill, instead, would require the court to make that order if the petition is not signed by all living parents, and would require the order to direct the parent or parents who did not sign the petition to show cause why the petition should not be granted by filing a written objection, as specified. Existing law requires, if the petition is filed by a guardian appointed by the juvenile court or the probate court, by a court-appointed dependency attorney appointed as a guardian ad litem, or by an attorney for a minor who is alleged or adjudged to be a ward of the court, and if either or both parents are deceased or cannot be located, the guardian to cause, not less than 30 days before the hearing, a notice of the time and place of the hearing or a copy of the order to show cause to be served on the child's grandparents, as specified. This bill would instead, in those circumstances, require the court to make an order directing the living grandparents to show cause why the petition for a court order to recognize a change in the minor's gender and sex identifier should not be granted within 6 weeks, as specified. The bill would additionally make other technical changes. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.