Dad order to counseling for sexist attitudes

Law prof Volokh writes:

To Get Children Back, Father Must Get Counseling to “Address His Use of Sexist and Racist Language”

So holds In re G.G. (Cal. Ct. App. June 29, 2010), by a 2–1 vote. (The court order said that “Father to be in individual counseling to address issues with a male therapist regarding father‘s racist and sexist views,”

From the published appeals court opinion:

For example, as noted, during the interview with a social worker, Ms. Mostowfi, the father while speaking loudly and belligerently, stated: ‘“[Y]ou have an attitude. You have an accent. You don’t understand English. You Iranian, you want me to kiss your ass, go back home.”” According to a supplemental report prepared by Ms. Rytterager, during the conversation with Ms. Mostowfi, the father made “numerous” racial slurs. Also, the father called Ms. Mostowfi a “bitch woman.” Further, he said Ms. Mostowfi could not “speak” English. When asked whether the twins had any food allergies, the father said to Ms. Mostowfi, ‘“Yeah, they’re allergic to Iranian food and Iranian incense.”

The father expressed disdain about taking the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality
Inventory-2 asking, "What kind of bull**** is this?" However, the test results indicated the father was concerned about how others viewed him. When the interview concluded, Dr. Kaser-Boyd described what happened, "[The father] said goodbye and his parting comment was that my hairdresser should use fewer highlights and do more to fluff my bangs." Dr. Kaser-Boyd was unable to provide any definitive information given the father's interaction with her.

The father has worked as a plumber and a hairdresser.

The dissent points out that there is no evidence that the dad actually did anything harmful to his kids. The case seems to be one where petty govt bureaucrats have acted vindictively against a father that they don't like, and they are abusing their power to try to force him to change his opinions. And the appeals court approves.

This father was investigated 18 times over 5 years, and the worst finding is that he was rude to those who were trying to take his kids away. This order is not directed at any benefit to his kids; it only an attempt to force the father to change his attitude so that the govt social workers and others would not be offended. I suspect that a large percentage of the population of parents would be similarly indignant if they also underwent 5 years of harassment from govt agents. Do you want to take all those kids away? Send all those parents to re-education camps?

His kids were not taken away for him being abusive. The reasons given were (1) inappropriate discipline, (2) failure to obtain a recommended psychiatric intervention, and (3) providing a chaotic home environment. That's all. None of the other accusations were substantiated.