Indiana Gov. Braun signed HB1412, shielding parents' non-affirmation of transgender children from child-neglect review
On May 1, 2025, Indiana Governor Mike Braun signed House Bill 1412 into law as Public Law 168, revising the state's child-abuse-and-neglect reporting statutes. The law specifies that a child is not a "child in need of services" solely because a parent, guardian, or custodian refers to and raises the child consistent with the child's biological sex. The provision shields a parent's non-affirmation of a transgender child's gender identity from being treated as neglect by the Indiana Department of Child Services.
Actors
On May 1, 2025, Indiana Governor Mike Braun signed House Bill 1412 into law as Public Law 168. The measure principally revises the state's duties for reporting child abuse and neglect, but it also adds a provision specifying that a child is not a "child in need of services" solely because a parent, guardian, or custodian refers to and raises the child in a manner consistent with the child's biological sex.
The provision shields a parent's non-affirmation of a transgender child's gender identity from being treated as abuse or neglect by the Indiana Department of Child Services, disadvantaging transgender youth on the basis of a protected characteristic. Trans Legislation Tracker catalogued HB1412 among Indiana's 2025 measures affecting transgender people. The change was one of several enacted during a legislative session in which Indiana passed multiple bills touching on gender identity.
Why we recorded this
Civil rights protect people from government policy that disadvantages them because of who they are. Indiana enacted a child-welfare provision that carves out a parent's refusal to affirm a transgender child's gender identity from what the state may treat as neglect, singling out transgender youth for reduced protection under the child-welfare system. This archive records when a government writes a protected characteristic into law as grounds for unequal treatment, narrowing the safeguards available to a vulnerable group.
Sources
- IN HB1412 | 2025 | Regular Session — LegiScan primary accessed July 12, 2026
- IN HB1412 (2025) — Trans Legislation Tracker secondary accessed July 12, 2026
- List of new Indiana laws approved this year — The Indiana Lawyer secondary accessed July 12, 2026
See also
- Indiana enacted HB 1041 extending its transgender-athlete ban to women's college sports
- Indiana Gov. Braun signed SB143, barring schools from withholding student information from parents and enabling forced outing of LGBTQ students
- Indiana Gov. Holcomb signed SB 480, banning gender-affirming care for transgender minors statewide
- Indiana Gov. Holcomb signed HB 1608, barring K-3 instruction on human sexuality and requiring schools to notify parents of gender-identity requests
- Idaho Gov. Little signed HB 264, restricting prison, shelter, and public-college facilities to one biological sex to bar transgender people
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