A former California state senator was among the San Diego County supervisors who voted against an ordinance last week that will redefine the word ‘women’ to include men who identify as women and who may also be transgender.
Joel Anderson received some 172 emails, calls, and letters opposing Agenda Item 34 and only 11 in support, according to Michael Botello, Anderson's director of communications.
Additionally, there were 475 eComments in opposition and 43 in support on the County’s website.
Anderson represents District 2 of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors, which includes the cities of El Cajon, Poway, Santee, and the counties of Carmel Mountain Ranch, San Carlos, and Miramar Ranch.
“I would like to thank everybody who called in and everybody who showed up to speak their minds,” Anderson said at a public hearing on April 27. “I think a lot of great points were made on all sides.”
Agenda Item 34 allows for the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), which is a bill of rights for women adopted internationally in 1979.
However, county officials rewrote the treaty to include men who identify as women.
“I think it's too aggressive,” Anderson said. “So, just like the Democrat-led Senate, I can't support it today.”
Anderson served as a California senator for District 36 from 2010 to 2014 and in District 38 from 2014 to 2018 as a Republican. During that time, he was among the unanimous votes that approved Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 78, which adopted the CEDAW treaty for the state.
“I think we all strive to make sure that women are treated fairly, that they have equal opportunity and that we take care of each other but I'm concerned about this document,” Anderson added.
Among Anderson’s concerns is the Title IX Amendment of the Higher Education Act, which prohibits discrimination based on gender in education programs that receive funds from the federal government.
On June 16, 2021, the protection was extended to include gender identity by the Department of Education under President Biden’s administration.
“I'm worried about Title IX and the implications that this may have on Title IX,” Anderson added. “I'm also worried that in the wrong hands, this may weaponize a subject where we should be coming together, but may be used to purge people or to go after folks.”