SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The debate over parental notification policies in California schools reached a boiling point Thursday morning as two lawmakers nearly had a physical confrontation on the Assembly floor.

Two Riverside-area assemblymen, Republican Bill Essayli and Democrat Corey Jackson, exchanged angry words as the Assembly was preparing to vote on Assembly Bill 1955, which would prevent California school boards from implementing rules forcing school staff to inform a student’s parents if they request to use a name or pronoun that does not align with their biological sex.

At one point, Assemblyman Marc Berman, D-Menlo Park, physically prevented Jackson from moving toward Essayli. The two never actually came close to attacking each another, but the scene demonstrated the extreme tension around the the issue, as LGBTQ lawmakers push back against Republican talking points they feel dehumanize transgender Californians.

Capitol confrontation

Essayli had spent the previous 15 minutes clashing with Assembly Speaker Pro Tempore Jim Wood, D-Healdsburg, who leads floor session proceedings. At one point, Essayli referred to Democrats in the chamber as “the Chinese Communist Party.” His comments against AB 1955 came immediately after Assemblywoman Lori Wilson, D-Suisun City, shared her personal experience parenting and supporting her transgender son.

Jackson, a member of the Legislative LGBTQ Caucus, had been confirming a motion Republicans made when he and Essayli began exchanging words.

“I lost it,” Jackson said after floor session ended. “I didn’t know what I was going to do. But my colleagues just helped to reset.”

Essayli has exhibited a consistent pattern of publicly disparaging advocacy groups and fellow lawmakers in an attempt to garner attention for conservative causes. On Thursday, he interrupted colleagues’ testimony and expressed frustration over Wood cutting his microphone and shutting down his comments when they veered away from AB 1955 and toward the issue of forced outing, in general.

Jackson said he found Essayli “very disrespectful” in a way that “goes beyond just having an objection of the bill.”

“My Republican friends fail to understand that some of these issues, it’s not about policy, it’s about somebody’s humanity,” Jackson said. “And issues of humanity, for me, is off-limits.”

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