California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom signed new legislation pointing children in government schools toward an LGBT online forum that some in the state believe is likely a hotbed for predators.
Newsom signed Assembly Bill 727 on Oct. 10, which was World Mental Health Day, mandating that school IDs for public middle schools, high schools, and colleges have contact information for The Trevor Project on the back.
The group purports to prevent suicide for self-proclaimed homosexual and transgender young people, but their online forum, TrevorSpace, lacks age verification and moderation standards, according to The Christian Post.
Brenda Lebsack, a Santa Ana Unified School District trustee, said that The Trevor Project allows for easy predation on children.
“I saw with my own eyes that Trevor Project is putting kids in harm’s way through TrevorSpace by connecting minors with unfettered random adults on an international virtual platform to explore their genders and sexualities, and this is dangerous for our most vulnerable kids who identify as LGBTQ,” Lebsack wrote in a recent article, according to a release from the California Family Council.
TrevorSpace is advertised as a “welcoming online social community for LGBTQ+ young people between the ages of 13-24 years old.”
There are over 400,000 members on the forum, where young people can “find support groups and make friends.”
The California Family Council wrote that “multiple investigations, including those cited by law enforcement and school officials, reveal that anyone can create an account, set their age, and directly message minors.”
“There is no reliable age verification, and moderation is limited,” the organization said.
Kevin Brown, a retired police officer who launched the anti-trafficking entity Lives Worth Saving, said that his experience in law enforcement led him to believe that TrevorSpace could be easily compromised.
“I understand the strategies used by child predators and traffickers to lure their victims,” Brown said in written testimony against Assembly Bill 727.
“Because TrevorSpace readily admits it does not constantly monitor the site, and there are people of all ages online, the opportunity for a child to be manipulated by a predator is an exponential threat.”
Brown testified that he had even tested the site himself, creating a fake account designed to resemble a 15-year-old boy.
“Within minutes, I was able to connect with several others via a ‘club’ that is actually a chat room,” he continued.
“One person was of particular interest, as he wanted to take our chat from TrevorSpace and move it to Discord, another social media site I’m familiar with. In an undercover capacity, I have made contact with people on Discord who sell and distribute Child Sexual Abuse Materials.”
Even the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office and Orange County Department of Education had encouraged Newsom to veto the bill, according to the California Family Council.
Newsom has faced criticism for advancing LGBT measures targeted at children during his terms as governor of California.
The official is a likely Democratic presidential contender for the 2028 election.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.