California lawmakers have sent Gov. Gavin Newsom a bill requiring school districts to update their records to reflect the chosen names and genders of graduates.
Democratic Assemblyman David Chiu of San Francisco said his measure that won final legislative approval Thursday is intended to particularly help transgender graduates or those who identify themselves as having no gender.
He says those graduates already often face discrimination and their efforts to find jobs can be aggravated if student records don't match their legal name. Old records can also inadvertently reveal that a graduate is transgender when they have not otherwise made the transition public.
Chiu says some schools have been reluctant to issue new diplomas to graduates. AB711 requires school districts to update those former students' diplomas, GEDs or transcripts upon request.