Erin Friday is an attorney and the co-lead of Our Duty, a parent-led international organization that opposes transgender procedures for minors.
When her daughter was 13 years old, she began identifying as male, and school staff began using a male name and pronouns to address her—without the knowledge or consent of her parents.
When Friday found out, she called the school and told them to stop. A week later, Child Protective Services showed up at her door—followed by the police a day later. No action was taken against Friday, but it was an alarming experience for her.
A few months later, her daughter ran away in the middle of the night. Under normal circumstances, a parent would probably call the police, but Friday didn’t dare to, having heard about parents who had lost custody of their children when they refused to go along with their child’s transgender identity.
“It’s two o‘clock in the morning, three o’clock in the morning, and I can’t make that phone call because I know that there’s already a file open on me, and that Child Protective Services can swoop in at any time and take my child,” Friday said.
“I made a deal that if I could safeguard my daughter from this—which I did—that I would help save other parents and save other children.”
For years now, she has joined the legal fight against school policies that allow social transitioning of minors without parental consent and medical guidelines that support puberty blockers and hormones for minors.
“When have we ever treated a mental illness by cutting off body parts?” Friday says.
In our wide-ranging interview, we discuss the legal battles Friday has been involved in against Child Protective Services and the state of California over the past few years.
Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and the guest, and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times and The Thinking Conservative.
Description
At a time when our nation is becoming increasingly polarized, media often ignore viewpoints and stories that are worthy of attention. American Thought Leaders, hosted by The Epoch Times Senior Editor Jan Jekielek and his reporting team, features in-depth discussions with important thought leaders on key issues facing America—and Canada, the world—today.
About the host
Jan Jekielek is a Senior Editor with The Epoch Times and host of the show, “American Thought Leaders.” Jan’s career has spanned academia, media, & international human rights work. In 2009 he joined The Epoch Times full time and has served in a variety of roles, including as Website Chief Editor. He is the producer of the award-winning Holocaust documentary film “Finding Manny.“
