Days ago, a federal court dismissed a parental rights case filed against Sweetwater County School District No. 1 for hiding a child’s “social gender transition.”
The ruling didn't say the district was right — it simply said federal law doesn’t clearly give parents the right to be informed.
Let that sink in: An Obama - appointed federal judge just told Wyoming parents that schools may keep them in the dark about life-altering decisions involving their own children.
If you're a parent in Sweetwater County or anywhere else in Wyoming, you should be alarmed.
This isn’t happening in some faraway coastal city. It’s happening right here in Wyoming. In fact, this case came out of our own backyard.
Despite repeated warnings from families and lawmakers alike, the Wyoming Legislature failed to act.
In 2023, the Legislature had a chance to pass a bill that would have guaranteed parents the right to know when their kids ask to go by different pronouns.
But that bill was killed — blocked by those who said, “this isn’t happening in Wyoming.”
They were wrong.
Our very own Rock Springs legislators Cody Wylie, JT Larson, and Clark Stith all voted against hearing that bill.
Now we see the consequences of that decision.
Had it passed in 2023, Sweetwater 1 would have been required to let these parents know what was going on with their child – and the Willeys could have avoided dealing with a woke federal judge who seems more interested in protecting the government than parental rights.
We cannot rely on federal courts to defend parental rights in Wyoming. That duty falls to us — the Legislature. And in 2023, the insiders failed parents.
The people of Rock Springs — and all of Wyoming — deserve lawmakers who stand up for families, not ones who look the other way while unelected bureaucrats make private decisions behind closed doors.
The next time someone says, “This isn’t happening here,” remember this case. It is happening. And it's up to us to stop it.
Darin McCann represents House District 48 in Rock Springs.
