Vallejo-Benicia Indivisible No Kings rally on June 14 at Unity plaza had hundreds in attendance!
There are weekly protest starting this Saturday to replace the Tesla Takedowns it will be near the Home Depot on Admiral Callaghan at 11am. Hope you can join us!
Other local and regional gatherings:
Wednesdays from 4:15 to 5:15 pm in front of the Vallejo Ferry building.
Thursdays at 5 pm in Benicia, Vallejo-Benicia Indivisible hosts flag waving by the Gazebo in City Park (Military & First Street, Benicia). https://www.facebook.com/events/1077820594478484/1077820677811809/?active_tab=about
Sundays at noon in Benicia, Vallejo-Benicia Indivisible hosts flag waving by the Gazebo in City Park (Military & First Street, Benicia). https://www.facebook.com/events/1077820594478484/1077820677811809/?active_tab=about
Stand Up for Democracy Vallejo: This a local Indivisible event! Stand Up For Democracy…..continue the momentum !! Benicia-Vallejo Indivisible will continue their weekly Saturday protest. Bring a friend, a sign, and your voices! Saturdays at 11 am at Vallejo Plaza, Admiral Callaghan Lane & Plaza Drive, Vallejo. Link to sign up.
Fight for Our Democracy and Constitution Vacaville: Link to sign up.
Join Indivisible Vallejo and Benicia this Labor Day as we come together in solidarity with communities across the country. Working people built this nation, and we know how to take care of one another. We will not back down—we will never stop fighting for our families and the freedoms that ensure opportunity and a better life for all.
FOOD DRIVE – We’ll also be collecting donations for the Food Bank of Contra Costa & Solano—join us in helping to feed our neighbors and support families in need. -The Food Bank cannot accept glass containers, food one year past its ‘best by’ date, open or partially-used products, alcohol, food without nutrition labels, or any frozen/refrigerated foods.
Sep 1st 10:30am – 12pm (or later if interested) City Park – 150 Military W, Benicia (by the Gazebo). Link to sign up.
August 2nd: Rage Against the Regime. 50501.com
Greetings!
The federal civil rights regulation known as the Equal Access Rule (EAR) is under attack. This important protection guarantees access to many housing and homeless services funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, or marital status. It is vital for the trans community, which faces disproportionate levels of housing insecurity & violence. Unfortunately, the Trump Administration wants to destroy this critical protection, and is seeking yet to repeal it.
As part of our campaign to fight back we hope to elevate stories that highlight the importance of the EAR, and have created the Equal Access Rule Story Collection Portal. If you or someone you know has faced barriers accessing shelter and housing resources based on gender identity, sexual orientation, or marital status, or has benefited from policies which protect equal access to housing services, please check out the portal. We encourage you to share the link or attached flyer with anyone you think might be interested.
Best,
Terri L. Wilder (She/Her), MSW
HIV/Aging Policy Advocate
Tell CA lawmakers to advance LGBTQ+ protections now
Right now, California lawmakers are deciding whether our priority LGBTQ+ sponsored bills will continue moving forward this year — or be stalled in the Appropriations Committees. Your voice can make a difference.
Here’s what’s at stake:
🚨 SB 59 – The Transgender Privacy Act: Strengthens confidentiality protections for transgender and nonbinary people seeking legal name or gender marker changes.
🚨 SB 418 – Access to Healthcare: Protects patients from healthcare discrimination and expands access to prescription hormone therapy.
🚨 SB 497 – Transgender State of Refuge: Safeguards sensitive medical data from being weaponized against transgender people.
🚨 SB 590 – Inclusive Paid Family Leave: Expands paid family leave to include chosen and extended family.
🚨 AB 82 – Health Data Privacy & Safety: Protects patients and providers of transgender healthcare from harassment and doxing.
🚨 AB 554 – The PrEPARE Act: Ensures continued access to HIV prevention medications like PrEP without cost sharing or insurance barriers.
🚨 AB 678 – Safe and Inclusive Housing: Develops affirming housing solutions for LGBTQ+ people experiencing homelessness.
🚨 AB 908 – LGBTQ+ Inclusion in Schools: Ensures school districts comply with the FAIR Education Act and adopt LGBTQ+ inclusive instructional materials.
🚨 AB 1084 – The Transgender Records Act: Streamlines the process for legal name and gender marker changes so people can access accurate IDs more quickly.
California has always led the way on LGBTQ+ equality. But as the Trump administration rolls back protections and fuels extremist attacks against our community, we must push our state leaders to hold the line and keep moving forward.
Will you add your name to our petition urging the Appropriations Committees to support these critical bills?
Together, we can make sure California continues to be a place where every LGBTQ+ person is safe, healthy, and fully included.
Thank you for your help,
—Craig
Craig Pulsipher
Legislative Director
Pronouns: he/him/his
Equality California
This week, California lawmakers are back in session, so we’re working diligently to advance our 2025 Legislative Package through the Appropriations Committees, final votes, and to Governor Newsom’s desk. We’ve been tracking everything happening at the local, state, and federal levels — take a look at this week’s news below.
To view previous news items from the Equality Brief, visit our website.
Week of Aug 17-Aug 23, 2025:
- Trump Administration Excludes Gender-Affirming Care Coverage for Federal Employees:
The Office of Personnel Management announced that gender-affirming care will no longer be covered for federal workers of all ages under two federal health insurance programs (the Federal Employee Health Benefits and the Postal Service Health Benefits). The new guidelines indicate that exceptions will be provided, but similar assurances made to transgender servicemembers and others have not resulted in exemptions. - DOJ Demands Hospitals Turn Over Sensitive Information Related to Medical Care for Young Trans Patients:
Recent DOJ subpoenas to hospitals that have provided gender-affirming care to trans people under 19 reveal a jaw-dropping scope of investigation — “every writing or record of whatever type” including billing documents, communication with drug manufacturers and sensitive data such as patient dates of birth, Social Security numbers and addresses. - Judge Orders DOJ to Give More Info on Subpoenas Targeting Medical Care for Young Trans Patients:
In response to a challenge filed by one of the hospitals targeted in the Justice Department’s attack on healthcare for trans young people, a federal judge ordered the Trump Administration to provide information about the scope of the Justice Department’s investigation — including in states where the provision of such care is legal — within two weeks. - Supreme Court Unlikely To Revisit Marriage Equality Case:
GLAD Law, the LGBTQ+ legal organization that has actively advanced marriage equality for decades, reports that while the Supreme Court has not yet decided if it will hear Kim Davis’ petition to overturn the Obergefell 2015 marriage equality ruling, the case involves a specific and narrow legal issue and it would be highly unusual for the Supreme Court to take it up. - Deep Cuts to Medicaid and ACA Coverage Threaten Progress Against HIV:
The AIDS Institute published an analysis of the devastating impact that the recently passed H.R.1 spending bill will have on the 1.2 million people living with HIV in the U.S. Deep funding cuts and new eligibility reporting requirements that will cause approximately 15 million people to lose healthcare under the ACA and Medicaid, the single largest source of insurance coverage for people living with HIV. - CMS Initiative Threatens to Strip Medical Care for Immigrants:
The federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) launched an oversight initiative aimed at stripping Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) benefits from people whose citizenship or immigration status could not be confirmed through federal databases. - HHS Terminates CA Federal Sex Education Program for Retaining Info about Trans People in Curriculum:
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced it had terminated California’s participation in a federal sex education grant program—the Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP)—after the state refused to remove information about transgender people from its curricula. California said that it would “not make any such modifications,” arguing its program materials are relevant and medically accurate and the Trump administration does not have the authority to take an enforcement action. - California Legislature Passes Emergency Redistricting Plan, Voters to Decide in November:
Governor Gavin Newsom has signed into law a sweeping redistricting package passed by the California Legislature on August 21. The plan—approved by large Democratic majorities—comes in direct response to efforts by Republicans in Texas to gerrymander maps ahead of the 2026 elections. The final say now rests with voters: a special election on November 4, 2025 will determine whether the new maps take effect through 2030.
STATE LEGISLATIVE UPDATE 📄 🏛️
The California Legislature has ended its summer summer recess, and we have returned to begin the Appropriations process for bills passed earlier this year. Next Friday, the Senate and Assembly Appropriations Committees will decide the fate of hundreds of bills introduced this year.
NEW TRAINING AVAILABLE! 🌟 🌟
Equality California Institute and the Transgender Health & Wellness Center have partnered to offer a new free training: Providing Affirming Care to Transgender and Gender Expansive Communities. Specifically created for service providers, this training will deepen your understanding of transgender, gender diverse, and intersex (TGI) communities and provide practical tools, foundational knowledge, and best practices for providing respectful, affirming, and trauma-informed care. Take the training today!
UPCOMING EVENTS
- We’ve locked in our first honoree for the 2025 Los Angeles Equality Awards! The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, Los Angeles — CHIRLA — will be receiving the Community Leadership Award at our annual L.A. event on Saturday, October 4, 2025 from 6-10 PM at the Fairmont Century Plaza. Want to join us for our largest gala of the year, and maybe even sponsor? Click here to buy your tickets today!
Our hub also provides guidance and resources from our national and state partners, our official statements, and opportunities to take action and fight back. Learn more on our website.
Thank you,
— Craig
Craig Pulsipher
Legislative Director
Pronouns: he/him/his
It’s hard to believe that we’re approaching 30 Equality Brief emails, which is a testament to you — thank you for responding and reading with such interest! Next week, California lawmakers are back in session, so we’ll be working hard to get our 2025 Legislative Package through Appropriations, final votes, and to the governor’s desk. But no worries, we’ll still be tracking everything going on at the local, state, and federal level — take a look at this week’s news below.
To view previous news items from the Equality Brief, visit our website.
Week of Aug 10-Aug 16, 2025:
- Disgraced Kentucky Clerk Petitions Supreme Court to Rethink Marriage Equality Ruling:
Kim Davis, the former Kentucky county clerk who went to jail for six days for refusing to certify same sex marriage certificates in 2015, has formally petitioned the Supreme Court to hear a casethat seeks to reverse the landmark Obergefell marriage equality decision. Davis and her lawyers argue First Amendment protection for free exercise of religion immunizes her from personal liability for the denial of marriage licenses, and that the ruling in Obergefell was “egregiously wrong.” - Federal Court Upholds Arkansas Law Banning Healthcare for Transgender Youth:
On Tuesday, the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld an Arkansas law that prohibits doctors from providing gender-affirming healthcare to minors, including puberty blockers and hormones. The ruling overturns a decision from a lower court which had previously declared the law unconstitutional, and follows a Supreme Court decision (U.S. v. Skrmetti) in June that declared a similar law in Tennessee was not discriminatory. - Minnesota Teenager Files Gender Discrimination Lawsuit After Bathroom Confrontation:
A cisgender teenage girl in Minnesota filed a gender discrimination lawsuit against a Buffalo Wild Wings location in Owatanna after a server reportedly followed her into the women’s restroom and “made her prove” she was not transgender. Gender Justice filed the suit with the Minnesota Department of Human Rights on behalf of 18-year-old Gerika Mudra; Minnesota is one of 21 states that legally protect a person’s right to use facilities that correspond to their gender identity. - Transgender College Athlete Files Suit Against California University for Revoking Her Scholarship:
A transgender volleyball player has filed suit against a California university who stripped her of her scholarship. Emma Morquecho, who moved to the state to attend Westcliff University, is suing the school, the California Pacific Conference athletic league, and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics alleging that this action violates her federal civil rights and California state law.
STATE LEGISLATIVE UPDATE 📄 🏛️
The California Legislature is on its summer recess, and will return next week to begin the Appropriations process for bills passed earlier this year.
NEW TRAINING AVAILABLE! 🌟 🌟
Equality California Institute and the Transgender Health & Wellness Center have partnered to offer a new free training: Providing Affirming Care to Transgender and Gender Expansive Communities. Specifically created for service providers, this training will deepen your understanding of transgender, gender diverse, and intersex (TGI) communities and provide practical tools, foundational knowledge, and best practices for providing respectful, affirming, and trauma-informed care. Take the training today!
UPCOMING EVENTS
- We’ve locked in our first honoree for the 2025 Los Angeles Equality Awards! The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, Los Angeles — CHIRLA — will be receiving the Community Leadership Award at our annual L.A. event on Saturday, October 4, 2025 from 6-10 PM at the Fairmont Century Plaza. Want to join us for our largest gala of the year, and maybe even sponsor? Click here to buy your tickets today!
Our hub also provides guidance and resources from our national and state partners, our official statements, and opportunities to take action and fight back. Learn more on our website.
Thank you,
— Jorge
Jorge Reyes Salinas
Communications Director
Pronouns: he/him/his
August is in full swing — the days are hotter and getting dark earlier, and it’ll be Fall before we know it. Which means that California lawmakers will soon return from their recess and then it’s go time on getting our 2025 Legislative Package through Appropriations, final votes, and to the governor’s desk. We’re still tracking everything going on at the local, state, and federal level in this ‘calm before the storm’ moment — take a look at this week’s news below.
To view previous news items from the Equality Brief, visit our website.
Week of Aug 3-Aug 9, 2025:
- Air Force to Deny Retirement Pay to Transgender Servicemembers Separated From Service:
On Thursday, the U.S. Air Force announced it would deny all transgender servicemembers with between 15 and 18 years of service the opportunity for early retirement.Said servicemembers will instead be given a choice — take a lump-sum payout offered to junior officers, or be separated from service with no retirement benefits. This move is just the latest in the Trump administration’s efforts to ban transgender people from serving in the military, which the Supreme Court cleared the way for them to do this May. - Latest Federal Hate Crime Data Shows Attacks Against LGBTQ+ Community Remain Alarmingly High:
The most recent annual crime report released by the FBI this week shows that while overall violent crime in the U.S. continues to decline, hate crimes against LGBTQ+ people are on the rise. According to data submitted to the FBI by local jurisdictions, attacks based on a victim’s sexual orientation comprise 17.2% of all hate crimes, while 4% are on the basis of a victim’s gender identity or expression. - California AG Has Been Taking on The Trump Administration — and Winning:
Over the past six months, California Attorney General Rob Bonta has filed 37 lawsuits against the Trump administration, leading or co-leading 23 of them. Additionally, he has also filed more than 40 amicus briefs in support of other litigation against the administration. Of the 19 cases where he has sought and district courts have ruled on early relief, he has succeeded in 17 of them, and there are currently 13 orders blocking Trump’s illegal actions currently in effect. - ‘Extraordinary Ability’ Visa Eligibility Scrapped for Transgender Female Athletes:
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced a policy update that will restrict visa eligibility for transgender women competing in women’s sports. Since taking office in January, the administration has relentlessly attacked the transgender community, with a particular focus on both healthcare and participation in sports. It is unclear how many athletes this decision may affect, as the number of out transgender athletes around the world remains low. - HHS Secretary Kennedy Considers Disbanding Preventive Care Panel:
Secretary Kennedy announced this week that he is “reviewing” whether to remove all members of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF)— the federal body of medical experts charged with issuing recommendations for preventive care for adults and children — because they are “too woke.” This decision could undermine access to affordable preventive care, including PrEP, and be significantly detrimental to disease prevention efforts.
STATE LEGISLATIVE UPDATE 📄 🏛️
The California Legislature is on its summer recess, and will return in mid-August to begin the Appropriations process for bills passed earlier this year.
NEW TRAINING AVAILABLE! 🌟 🌟
Equality California Institute and the Transgender Health & Wellness Center have partnered to offer a new free training: Providing Affirming Care to Transgender and Gender Expansive Communities. Specifically created for service providers, this training will deepen your understanding of transgender, gender diverse, and intersex (TGI) communities and provide practical tools, foundational knowledge, and best practices for providing respectful, affirming, and trauma-informed care. Take the training today!
UPCOMING EVENTS
- We’ve locked in our first honoree for the 2025 Los Angeles Equality Awards! The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, Los Angeles — CHIRLA — will be receiving the Community Leadership Award at our annual L.A. event on Saturday, October 4, 2025 from 6-10 PM at the Fairmont Century Plaza. Want to join us for our largest gala of the year, and maybe even sponsor? Click here to buy your tickets today!
Our hub also provides guidance and resources from our national and state partners, our official statements, and opportunities to take action and fight back. Learn more on our website.
Thank you,
— Shane
Shane M. Stahl
Associate Director of Communications
Pronouns: he/him/his
July may be over, but the news never stops — as evidenced by a big announcement today out of Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office (read below for more). Congressional and California lawmakers are still on recess, but that just means we’ve got some time to regroup and prepare for the fights yet to come.
To view previous news items from the Equality Brief, visit our website.
Week of Jul 27-Aug 2, 2025:
- BREAKING: Attorney General Rob Bonta Sues Trump Administration Over Attacks on Transgender Healthcare
AG Bonta, joined by fifteen other attorneys general and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, has filed suit against the Trump administration over its relentless attacks on transgender healthcare.These attacks have led medical providers to discontinue some services for fear of violating the law or jeopardizing federal funding for their institutions. Bonta’s suit contends that the assault on this healthcare is unconstitutional, undermines state sovereignty, and exceeds federal authority. Read our statement here. - New Federal Workplace Memo Seemingly Breaks the Wall Between Church and State
On Monday, the Trump Administration released a new memo addressing religious expression among federal workers that, among other points, outlines that employees can attempt to persuade co-workers about why their religion is “correct.” This follows a previous executive order concerning “anti-Christian” bias. - 21 Attorneys General File Lawsuit Challenging USDA Mandate Regarding SNAP Data:
California Attorney General Rob Bonta and 20 of his peers filed a new lawsuit this week challenging a demand from the USDA that states turn over personal and sensitive information about millions of SNAP recipients. Surrendering such data, the AG’s contend, would violate multiple privacy laws and the U.S. Constitution. - Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) and House Colleagues Introduce Slate of Gun Safety Bills:
The Massachusetts senior Senator — joined by House Colleagues Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL), Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), Rep. Seth Magaziner (D-RI) and Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-PA) — introduced a bicameral package of gun violence prevention bills to mark 2025 Gun Violence Prevention Awareness Month. - Federal Trade Commission Seeks “Harm Stories” Regarding Transgender Youth Healthcare:
Pursuing a continued anti-trans agenda, the FTC opened a web portal for story collection this weeklooking for stories of “harms to consumers” as a result of transgender youth healthcare. - New Anti-Discrimination Guidance From DOJ Rewrites the Rules:
The Trump Administration is flipping the definition of ‘discrimination’ on its head in pursuit of its hateful agenda.New guidance from the DOJ includes provisions that specifically target transgender youth in both sports and public accommodations. Additionally, it also directs entities that receive federal funding to not be involved in any programs or initiatives related to DEI, claiming it is a “discriminatory practice.” - EEOC Sued For Failing to Protect Transgender Workers:
The National Women’s Law Center and Democracy Forward filed a lawsuit this weekagainst the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for refusing to enforce federal nondiscrimination laws that protect transgender workers. Per the suit, the agency denies these workers access to the EEOC’s investigative process, dismisses ongoing cases brought on their behalf, and halts payments to local agencies investigating complaints. - Federal Judge Issues Injunction Against Provision to Defund Planned Parenthood in ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’; Multi-State Coalition Lawsuit Filed
A provision in the massive Republican spending bill that would have unconstitutionally “defunded” Planned Parenthood has been blocked by a federal injunction in the case of PPFA v. Kennedy. This means that for the time being, Planned Parenthood health centers can continue being paid for essential services provided through Medicaid such as birth control, cancer screenings, STI testing and treatment, and more. At the same time, California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit alongside 22 other attorneys general and one governor seeking to prevent the Trump Administration from enforcing the devastating and unlawful provision.
STATE LEGISLATIVE UPDATE 📄 🏛️
The California Legislature is on its summer recess, and will return in mid-August to begin the Appropriations process for bills passed earlier this year.
UPCOMING EVENTS
- We’ve locked in our first honoree for the 2025 Los Angeles Equality Awards! The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, Los Angeles — CHIRLA — will be receiving the Community Leadership Award at our annual L.A. event on Saturday, October 4, 2025 from 6-10 PM at the Fairmont Century Plaza. Want to join us for our largest gala of the year, and maybe even sponsor? Click here to buy your tickets today!
Our hub also provides guidance and resources from our national and state partners, our official statements, and opportunities to take action and fight back. Learn more on our website.
Thank you,
— Joe
Joe Sangirardi
Development Director
Pronouns: he/his/his
Equality California Applauds Attorney General Bonta and Multistate Coalition for Suing Trump Administration Over Cruel Attack on Transgender Youth and Lifesaving Healthcare
LOS ANGELES — Equality California Executive Director Tony Hoang released the following statement in response to California Attorney General Rob Bonta and a multistate coalition suing the Trump administration for its efforts to restrict access to medically necessary healthcare for transgender patients under 19:
“Equality California applauds Attorney General Rob Bonta and a diverse coalition of state leaders for standing up to the cruelty and lawlessness of the Trump administration. This lawsuit is a critical step toward protecting access to lifesaving healthcare for transgender youth — and pushing back against a coordinated political assault on our community.
No young person should be denied medically necessary care because of a hate-fueled political agenda. Donald Trump and his administration have no business interfering with personal healthcare decisions made between parents, doctors, and patients.
Transgender healthcare is essential, evidence-based medical care. But Donald Trump, his Department of Justice, and other federal agencies are bullying hospitals, threatening doctors, and trying to strip funding from healthcare providers simply for doing their job — caring for their patients. These attacks are not about fairness or safety — they are about fearmongering, erasure, and punishing transgender people for simply existing. The Trump administration’s actions are not just discriminatory — they are dangerous, and fly in the face of both medical standards and basic human decency.
In California, transgender healthcare is not only legal — it’s recognized as medically necessary healthcare and a fundamental right. The Trump administration’s attempt to criminalize this care and intimidate providers undermines these longstanding state protections, violates anti-discrimination laws, and places doctors and hospitals at risk of prosecution for delivering lawful care.
We are proud to stand with Attorney General Bonta as he takes action to block the Trump Administration’s attacks on families and medical providers, and hold them accountable for their violations of constitutional rights and state sovereignty.
Transgender youth deserve safety, dignity, and access to healthcare — not political persecution. We will never stop fighting to defend their rights and the rights of all LGBTQ+ people.”
###
Week of Jul 20-Jul 26, 2025:
- Louisiana Senator Seeks ‘Proof of Compliance’ With Anti-Transgender Executive Order
Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, sent letters to six major healthcare providers and insurance companies demanding proof of compliance with Donald Trump’s executive order banning gender-affirming medical care for minors by August 7, 2025. - Anti-LGBTQ+ Riders Added to Several FY2026 Appropriations Bills:
The Republican-led House has inserted anti-LGBTQ+ riders into multiple FY2026 Appropriations bills to date. This includes necessary funding for Commerce Justice and Science, National Security and State, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Energy & Water. The various riders would ban funding for transgender healthcare in federal facilities, ban funding to advance DEI initiatives, and forbid the flying of the Pride flag among other directives. - California Health and Human Services Agency Explains Impact of Federal Funding Cuts:
Following the signing of the so-called ‘One Big Beautiful Bill,’ — which guts critical healthcare and safety net programs including Medi-Cal and CalFresh — California Health and Human Services Agency leaders released an important webinar on how these changes will affect Californians. - Kaiser Permanente Halts Certain Healthcare for Transgender Minors:
California’s largest healthcare provider announced this week that it will pause gender-affirming surgeries for patients under the age of 19, effective August 29th.This decision follows those of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and Stanford Medicine who have similarly scaled back or halted such care for adolescents following escalating threats from the Trump Administration. - ICE Illegally Given Access to Medicaid Recipient Data by Trump Administration:
Per Associated Press reporting, the Trump Administration illegally provided ICE with access to the personal, sensitive data of Medicaid recipientsas part of ongoing immigration raids across the country. This unprecedented breach of medical privacy is a deeply alarming assault on the privacy rights and health of millions of Americans. - CA Attorney General Rob Bonta Sues Trump Administration Over Cruel Directive:
Bonta, who has filed and joined numerous legal actions seeking to hold the administration to account, filed a new lawsuit this weekover the Trump Administration’s abrupt decision to restrict access to more than a dozen public benefit programs based on immigration status. These include critical programs like Head Start, childcare services for low-income families, adult education, mental health and substance abuse disorder programs, and shelters for at-risk youth and domestic violence survivors.
STATE LEGISLATIVE UPDATE 📄 🏛️
The California Legislature is on its summer recess, and will return in mid-August to begin the Appropriations process for bills passed earlier this year.
UPCOMING EVENTS
- We’ve locked in our first honoree for the 2025 Los Angeles Equality Awards! The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, Los Angeles — CHIRLA — will be receiving the Community Leadership Award at our annual L.A. event on Saturday, October 4, 2025 from 6-10 PM at the Fairmont Century Plaza. Want to join us for our largest gala of the year, and maybe even sponsor? Click here to buy your tickets today!
Our hub also provides guidance and resources from our national and state partners, our official statements, and opportunities to take action and fight back. Learn more on our website.
Thank you,
— Beatriz
Beatriz Baez
Program Manager
Pronouns: she/her/hers
We’re entering July, approaching a holiday weekend, and providing you the 21st edition of the Equality Brief! Over the next few weeks we’ll see legislation in California on the move and we’ll continue monitoring what’s going on in D.C.
To view previous news items from the Equality Brief, visit our website.
Week of Jun 29-Jul 5, 2025:
- So-Called ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ — Which Will Devastate American Lives — Passes Senate; House Vote Imminent :
The Republican-led Senate passed the Trump Administration’s federal budget, dubbed ‘One Big Beautiful Bill,’ by a 51-50 vote that required Vice President J.D. Vance to break a tie. The bill’s deep social spending cuts will hit LGBTQ+ people especially hard — nearly 25% of LGBTQ+ adults are enrolled in Medi-Cal/Medicaid. The bill also defunds Planned Parenthood, which provides healthcare to a significant number of LGBTQ+ people. In one positive development, however, a proposed ban on Medicaid coverage for transgender healthcare was dropped from the legislation. - Trump Administration Announces Federal Education Funding Freeze Weeks Before School Year Starts:
The Trump Administation announced it would withhold nearly $7 billion nationwide in funding for K-12 schools mere weeks before the academic year is scheduled to begin in most states. $811 million of that funding directly impacts California, while $53 million directly impacts Nevada. The funding, already appropriated by Congress, is meant to boost teacher training, support after-school programs, provide classroom technology, and supprt English-learning students and families. - Multiple Groups File Suit to Prevent Dismantling of Department of Education:
A coalition led by the NAACP, public school parents, and unions filed a lawsuit seeking a nationwide preliminary injunction to block the Trump Administration’s attempts to abolish the Department of Education. - Trump Department of Justice Sues Los Angeles for Sanctuary City Policies:
Attorney General Pam Bondi, filed suit against the city of Los Angeles for it’s sanctuary city policies which prohibit local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities. The DOJ claims this has led to “lawlessness, rioting, looting and vandalism.” - CA Attorney General Releases Latest State of Pride Report:
Attorney General Rob Bonta released the latest edition of his office’s State of Pride report, which highlights the California Department of Justice’s recent actions to support, uplift, and defend the rights of LGBTQ+ people across the state.
STATE LEGISLATIVE UPDATE 📄 🏛️
The following bills passed out of committee this week:
- AB 82 (Ward): Health Data Privacy & Safety; passed the Senate Public Safety Committee
- AB 1084 (Zbur): The Transgender Records Act; passed the Senate Judiciary Committee
- SB 418 (Menjivar): Ensure Equal Access to Care for All; passed the Assembly Health Committee
PRIDE EVENTS 🏳️🌈 🏳️⚧️
- You’ve still got one more chance to attend a Pride Party this year in San Diego (Wednesday, July 16 from 6-9 PM at InsideOUT). Buy your tickets today—General Admission and VIP both available—and celebrate queer joy with us!
Our hub also provides guidance and resources from our national and state partners, our official statements, and opportunities to take action and fight back. Learn more on our website.
Thank you,
— Veejay
Veejay Atilano
Associate Program Director
Pronouns: he/him/siya
This week was a mixed bag — we saw continued efforts from the Trump Administration to attack transgender youth, but some unexpectedly good news from the State Department, a couple of positive legal rulings, and the continued success of our sponsored legislation gave us reason to be hopeful.
To view previous news items from the Equality Brief, visit our website.
Week of Jul 6-Jul 12, 2025:
- Trump Administration Files Suit Against California Agencies, Claiming Title IX Violations:
The Trump DOJ, led by Attorney General Pam Bondi, sued the California Department of Education and the California Interscholastic Federation, accusing them of violating Title IX by allowing transgender athletes to participate in girls’ sports. This is the latest move in a continued campaign of attempted intimidation and harassment over the policy; the administration previously threatened to withhold billions in federal education funding, and the U.S. Department of Education warned they may seek punitive measures. Read our statement here. - State Department Complies With Preliminary Injunction in TGI Passport Case:
The State Department has begun to comply with an expanded preliminary injunction in the case of Orr v. Trump, which concerns the ability of transgender, nonbinary, gender nonconforming and intersex (TGI) people to receive accurate passports. The ACLU is urging members of the TGI community to update or renew their passports as soon as possible — their guidance is available here. - Federal Judge Issues Temporary Block on ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ Provision:
A provision in the recently passed Republican budget that cuts Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood clinics has been delayed after a U.S. District Judge issued a two-week block. This is welcome news, as millions of LGBTQ+ people, low-income workers, and other underserved communities rely on Planned Parenthood for basic healthcare. - Trump Department of Education Dismisses Thousands of Civil Rights Complaints:
In recently filed documents, the department’s Office of Civil Rights disclosed that nearly 3,500 civil rights complaints were dismissed or “resolved” because of insufficient evidence. Under the current administration, “discrimination” no longer includes sexual orientation or gender identity complaints, or challenges to bans on LGBTQ+ inclusive books. - HHS Secretary Kennedy Announces Immediate Freeze on Immigrants’ Access to Federally-Funded Programs:
In a press release from the Department of Health and Human Services, Secretary RFK, Jr. stated that, “effective immediately,” undocumented people would no longer have eligibility for a range of federally-funded services and programs including community health clinics, Head Start, mental health and substance abuse treatment, prevention, ad recovery programs, Title IV education programs, and family planning services under Title X. In doing so, HHS will restrict eligibility to a narrow set of “qualified immigrants” and leave out many lawfully residing immigrants as well. - Federal Trade Commission Hosts Vile Anti-Transgender Medical Care ‘Workshop’ as AG Bondi Seeks Private Medical Records of Transgender Youth:
The FTC held an all-day ‘workshop’ on Wednesday to “investigate evidence” of supposed wrongdoing by providers of medical care for transgender youth — including practitioners, medical groups, and pharmaceutical companies. The panel of supposed experts included doctors who virulently oppose such care, “morally defrauded and harmed victims,” and senior DOJ officials. Meanwhile, AG Bondi’s DOJ issued subpoenas demanding confidential medical information from more than 20 doctors and hospitals that have provided healthcare to transgender youth. This move is meant to spark fear for those who worry their private medical information may end up being released, and is a continuation of the administration’s disgusting campaign to erase trans people from public life. - Federal Judge Blocks Birthright Citizenship Executive Order Through Class-Action Challenge:
Judge Joseph N. LaPlante of the U.S. District Court for the District of New Hampshire blocked the Trump Administration from enforcing a cruel executive order ending birthright citizenship after certifying a lawsuit as a class action. The decision comes in the wake of a recent Supreme Court ruling that limits the ability of lower court judges to issue nationwide injunctions. - Supreme Court Will Hear Two Cases Involving Transgender Athletes Next Term:
To the dismay of LGBTQ+ advocates, the US Supreme Court agreed to hear two cases involving transgender student-athletes in its upcoming 2025-26 term. The challenges, which were brought by Idaho, West Virginia and the far-right Alliance Defending Freedom, seek to uphold their bans on trans athletic participation in public schools. In all, 27 states have outright bans or similar restrictions in place.
STATE LEGISLATIVE UPDATE 📄 🏛️
The following bills passed out of committee this week:
- AB 82 (Ward): Health Data Privacy & Safety; passed the Senate Judiciary Committee
- SB 590 (Durazo): Inclusive Paid Family Leave; passed the Assembly Insurance Committee
- SB 418 (Menjivar): Ensure Equal Access to Care for All; passed the Assembly Business & Professions Committee
PRIDE EVENTS 🏳️🌈 🏳️⚧️
- You’ve still got one more chance to attend a Pride Party this year in San Diego (Wednesday, July 16 from 6-9 PM at InsideOUT). Buy your tickets today—General Admission and VIP both available—and celebrate queer joy with us!
UPCOMING EVENTS
- Want to learn more about how the most recent Supreme Court term might affect you, and what’s ahead next term? Join our virtual webinar — Aftershocks: The Impact of the Supreme Court on LGBTQ+ People in CA and NV — on Wednesday, July 23 at 10:00 AM PST. RSVP for a Zoom link!
- We locked in our first honoree for the 2025 Los Angeles Equality Awards! The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, Los Angeles — CHIRLA — will be receiving the Community Leadership Award at our annual L.A. event on Saturday, October 4, 2025 from 6-10 PM at the Fairmont Century Plaza. Want to join us for our largest gala of the year, and maybe even sponsor? Click here to buy your tickets today!
Our hub also provides guidance and resources from our national and state partners, our official statements, and opportunities to take action and fight back. Learn more on our website.
Thank you,
— Aldo
Aldo Macias Arellano
Executive Manager and Board Liaison
Pronouns: he/him/his
| Will, The word this week was “litigation” — multiple lawsuits continued to be filed against the federal government, and the Supreme Court snuck in one more favor to Donald Trump. However, there was good news to be had as well — California stepped up in a big way to address LGBTQ+ youth mental health, and every one of our state bills made it through to the Appropriations process. To view previous news items from the Equality Brief, visit our website. Week of Jul 13-Jul 19, 2025:🚨 U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Sets 90-Day Window for ‘X’ Gender Markers on Passports:🚨 CBP set a 90-day deadline, beginning July 14th, during which airlines can accept ‘X’ gender markers on passports. When the deadline expires in mid-October, passengers will have to resubmit any travel reservations that do not reflect an ‘M’ or ‘F’ in the gender field — even if the passport holder is in possession of a valid ‘X’ marker passport.California Attorney General Co-Leads Lawsuit Challenging ACA Rule: AG Rob Bonta, joined by nineteen other attorneys general, filed suit against the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) challenging a new federal rule that would strip healthcare from 1.8 million people. Additionally, the rule would exclude gender-affirming care as an essential health benefit under the Affordable Care Act, part of the Trump Administration’s continued assault on transgender people. Read our statement here.California, Nevada Among 24 States Suing Over $7 Billion in Withheld Education Funding: A group of 24 states (and the District of Columbia) sued the Trump Administration on Monday over its freeze on nearly $7 billion in education funding for after-school care, English language learning, teacher training, and other programs. The fight over funding has caused chaos mere weeks ahead of the start of the 2025-2026 school year. Supreme Court Clears the Way for Mass Firings At Education Department: In a one-paragraph, unsigned emergency order, the Supreme Court ruled the Trump Administration could functionally eliminate the Department of Education by firing one-third of its workers.Gutting the department will hinder its ability to address civil rights complaints — 22,000 of which were filed in FY2024 alone. Among the Justices, only Justice Sotomayor issued a dissent. Rep. Ken Calvert (CA-41) Loads Pentagon Spending Bill With Anti-LGBTQ+ Riders; House Rams Through Passage Late Thursday: Calvert, Chair of the House Defense Appropriations Committee, introduced an FY26 defense spending bill rife with anti-LGBTQ+ provisions. These include a ban on gender-affirming care for servicemembers and their minor dependents, as well as a prohibition on changing duty stations for parents seeking said care for their child. Additionally, it restricts access to abortion and reproductive care, forbids discriminatory action against people with “sincerely held religious beliefs” that are anti-marriage equality, and guts programs that address diversity, equity and inclusion. The bill passed late Thursday evening after a rushed vote by leadership, and was decried in a statement by the Equality Caucus.Far Right Lawmakers Seek to Revoke Charter of National Education Association: Republican-led bills introduced this week by Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Rep. Mark Harris (R-NC) seek to revoke the 120-year-old charter of the National Education Association, claiming that the NEA is a “partisan machine more about radical ideology than education.” California Steps Up to Support LGBTQ+ Youth Mental Health: After the Trump Administration eliminated specialized support services for LGBTQ+ youth through the National 988 Crisis Line, California announced a new partnership between The Trevor Project and the California Health and Human Services Agency to provide enhanced competency training to the state’s crisis line counselors.STATE LEGISLATIVE UPDATE 📄 🏛️The following bills passed out of committee this week:AB 554 (González): Protecting Rights, Expanding Prevention, and Advancing Reimbursement for Equity (PrEPARE) Act; passed the Senate Health CommitteeAB 678 (Lee): LGBTQ+ Safe and Inclusive Housing; passed the Senate Housing CommitteeAB 908 (Solache): LGBTQ+ Inclusion and Fair Treatment in Schools (LIFT) Act; passed the Senate Education CommitteeAB 1084 (Zbur): The Transgender Records Act; passed the Senate Health CommitteeSB 497 (Wiener): Transgender State of Refuge; passed the Assembly Public Safety CommitteeThis last series of votes means that all our supported and sponsored bills have made it through policy committee votes and now move on to the Appropriations Committee; hearings will begin when lawmakers return from their summer recess next month.UPCOMING EVENTSWant to learn more about how the most recent Supreme Court term might affect you, and what’s ahead next term? Join our virtual webinar — Aftershocks: The Impact of the Supreme Court on LGBTQ+ People in CA and NV — on Wednesday, July 23 at 10:00 AM PST. RSVP for a Zoom link!We locked in our first honoree for the 2025 Los Angeles Equality Awards! The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, Los Angeles — CHIRLA — will be receiving the Community Leadership Award at our annual L.A. event on Saturday, October 4, 2025 from 6-10 PM at the Fairmont Century Plaza. Want to join us for our largest gala of the year, and maybe even sponsor? Click here to buy your tickets today!Our hub also provides guidance and resources from our national and state partners, our official statements, and opportunities to take action and fight back. Learn more on our website. Thank you, — Eric Eric Hernandez Program Manager Pronouns: he/him/his |
Lawsuit responds to threats by U.S. DOJ if California school districts do not certify to banning transgender students from playing on sports teams consistent with their gender identity
OAKLAND – California Attorney General Rob Bonta today filed a pre-enforcement lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Justice (U.S. DOJ) in anticipation of imminent legal retaliation against California’s school systems. Last week, U.S. DOJ issued a letter requesting certification from California school districts that they will not comply with longstanding state anti-discrimination law that provides for the participation in sports for K-12 students consistent with gender identity. Today, the California Department of Education notified U.S. DOJ that the state will not certify to its demands, which would require school districts to violate not only existing state law, but also the U.S. Constitution. In the lawsuit, Attorney General Bonta asks the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California to uphold California’s anti-discrimination law and prevent the Trump Administration from taking retaliatory action, such as withholding or conditioning federal funding, over the state’s refusal to comply with U.S. DOJ’s unlawful demands.
“The President and his Administration are demanding that California school districts break the law and violate the Constitution – or face legal retaliation. They’re demanding that our schools discriminate against the students in their care and deny their constitutionally protected rights,” said Attorney General Bonta. “As we’ve proven time and again in court, just because the President disagrees with a law, that doesn’t make it any less of one. As California’s chief legal officer, I’ll always fight to uphold and defend the laws of our state, especially those that protect and ensure the civil rights of the most vulnerable among us.”
Since 2012, it has been the law and policy of California that all persons, regardless of their gender, gender identity, or gender expression, should enjoy equal rights and opportunities, and freedom from discrimination of any kind, in their education. In 2013, the Legislature made clear that these protections specifically encompass school athletics. Similarly, the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF), the statewide governing body for school sports, allows all students to participate in athletics in accordance with their gender identity pursuant to its Bylaw 300.D.
With its recent certification letter, U.S. DOJ seeks to unlawfully upend, through executive decree, California’s longstanding policy of inclusion and anti-discrimination. On June 2, 2025, local educational agencies in California received a letter from U.S. DOJ wrongly asserting that Bylaw 300.D “requires California public high schools to allow male participation in girls’ interscholastic athletics,” and as such, violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The letter demanded that these agencies “certify” that they would not implement Bylaw 300.D by June 9, 2025, “[t]o ensure compliance and to avoid legal liability.”
In the lawsuit, Attorney General Bonta argues that U.S. DOJ has no right to make such a demand. Prevailing Ninth Circuit precedent holds that categorically prohibiting transgender students from participating in athletic programs in accordance with their gender identity violates the Equal Protection Clause. Furthermore, allowing athletic participation consistent with students’ gender identity is squarely within the State’s authority to ensure all students are afforded the benefits of an inclusive school environment, including participation in school sports, and to prevent the serious harms that transgender students would suffer from a discriminatory, exclusionary policy. Acceding to U.S. DOJ’s demands would force California school districts to violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment and California’s antidiscrimination laws. While the certification demand letter purports that compliance with the Equal Protection Clause requires the categorical exclusion of transgender girls from girls’ sports, as courts have previously upheld, just the opposite is true: the Equal Protection Clause forbids such policies of total exclusion, as does California law.
You can see the full press release here: Attorney General Bonta Files Pre-Enforcement Lawsuit Amid U.S. DOJ Demands that California Schools Violate State Law and U.S. Constitution | State of California – Department of Justice – Office of the Attorney General
Attorney General Rob Bonta recently released the 2024 State of Pride Report — and sadly, it confirms what we already feel in our communities: that LGBTQ+ people, especially transgender people, are being targeted at alarming rates.
Hate crimes targeting transgender people in California rose by over 12% in the last year; attacks motivated by anti-gay bias increased by nearly 9%. These are devastating figures — but unfortunately, they are not surprising.
We’re living in a time marked by fear and aggression, driven by extremist rhetoric and disinformation from those in power. In just one year, over 900 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been introduced nationwide. This wave of cruelty isn’t random — it’s intentional. And it’s harming real people every day. Rising hate crimes reflect not just isolated violence, but a system empowered to dehumanize and divide.
At Equality California, we’re meeting this moment with strength and resolve — fighting for protective laws, inclusive education, and real hate crime resources. Through our Stop the Hate program, we support survivors by working with partners to prevent anti-LGBTQ+ violence and build safer, more affirming communities.
This work matters now more than ever.
In solidarity,
—Joel
Joel Gemino
Associate Program Director
Pronouns: he/him/his
July 2, 2025
| Attorney General Bonta Releases Third Annual State of Pride Report in Honor of Pride MonthState of Pride Report highlights DOJ’s actions to defend and expand the civil rights of the LGBTQ+ community amid ongoing threats to justice and equalityOAKLAND — California Attorney General Rob Bonta today, in honor of Pride Month, issued a new “State of Pride Report” highlighting the California Department of Justice’s (DOJ) recent actions to support, uplift, and defend the rights of LGBTQ+ communities across California and beyond. Pride Month is a time to celebrate the beautiful strength and diversity of LGBTQ+ communities, as well as reflect on the struggles, sacrifices, and historic accomplishments of the LBGTQ+ equality movement. Despite the immense progress that has been achieved, LGBTQ+ individuals continue to face deeply rooted and emerging challenges across the nation. Amidst a rise in attacks on LGBTQ+ rights, DOJ remains steadfast in its commitment to fight alongside LGBTQ+ communities in pursuit of justice and equality.“As a proud ally and advocate, I stand in solidarity with our LGBTQ+ community this Pride Month and every month,” said Attorney General Bonta. “Amidst a rise in attacks on LGBTQ+ rights, it is more important than ever that we recommit ourselves to the ongoing fight for equality, safety, and inclusion. Today’s report highlights our commitment to defending, expanding, and advancing LGBTQ+ rights. It also underscores the work that remains to be done to ensure LGBTQ+ individuals have access to all the rights and resources they deserve. As the People’s Attorney, I remain steadfast in my commitment to using every tool at my disposal to safeguard the rights, freedoms, and wellbeing of our LGBTQ+ community.”The State of Pride Report presents detailed insight into DOJ’s latest initiatives to confront hate crimes and discrimination against LGBTQ+ individuals. The report emphasizes the importance of the Attorney General’s Hate Crime Rapid Response Protocol, which equips local law enforcement with essential resources to efficiently handle significant hate crimes and extremism. The report also focuses on DOJ’s work to cultivate safe and inclusive learning environments for LGBTQ+ students that are free from discrimination and harassment, enable transgender athletes to participate in sports aligned with their gender identity, and defend access to critical lifesaving care.The State of Pride Report also underscores the ongoing adversities LGBTQ+ individuals face in California and nationwide. Despite considerable progress, many LGBTQ+ individuals still experience discrimination, harassment, and violence in their daily lives. Transgender individuals are especially vulnerable, facing high rates of poverty, unemployment, and homelessness. These challenges demonstrate the need for ongoing protective efforts to uphold and expand LGBTQ+ individuals’ rights, enable all individuals to live free from discrimination and violence, and collaborate toward creating a more just and inclusive society.Key data points in the State of Pride Report depict the reality of hate crimes and discrimination against LGBTQ+ individuals: In 2024, 2.8 million people in this state identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender — the largest number of any state in the nation at 9.5%.Data reported to DOJ in 2024 shows that between 2023 and 2024, there were 172 reported hate crime events motivated by anti-LGBTQ+ bias (an increase of 13.9% from the previous year), 73 hate crime events motivated by anti-transgender bias (an increase of 12.3% from the previous year), 251 hate crime events motivated by anti-gay bias (an increase of 8.7% from the previous year), and 23 hate crime events motivated by anti-lesbian bias up from 17 the previous year. In 2024 alone, more than 500 anti-LGBTQ+ bills were introduced across the country – targeting healthcare, education, and public spaces.The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s most recent annual crime report showed a nearly 16% increase in reports of hate crimes nationally based on gender identity and a nearly 23% increase in reports of hate crimes based on sexual orientation.The State of Pride Report can be accessed here. For additional information on hate crimes please visit here. |
Craig Pulsipher | Legislative Director
Equality California | Equality California Institute
www.eqca.org | @eqca
:: Pronouns: he/him/his
:: Work Cell: (916) 444-7807
:: Sacramento, CA
Trump admin forced to restore $6.2 million to LGBTQ+ and HIV groups
| Following Trump cut to LGBTQ youth suicide hotline, California steps up to fill the gap |
| What you need to know: On July 17, the LGBTQ support option on the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline will end thanks to the Trump administration – but California is stepping up and doubling down on life-saving support for young gay people in crisis. |
| LOS ANGELES – Just weeks after the Trump administration announced that they would eliminate specialized suicide prevention support for LGBTQ youth callers through the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, California is taking action to improve behavioral health services and provide even more affirming and inclusive care. Through a new partnership with The Trevor Project, Governor Gavin Newsom and the California Health and Human Services Agency (CalHHS) will provide the state’s 988 crisis counselors enhanced competency training from experts, ensuring better attunement to the needs of LGBTQ youth, on top of the specific training they already receive. This partnership builds on existing collaborations, like those under California’s Master Plan for Kids’ Mental Health, and reflects a shared commitment to evidence-based, LGBTQ+ affirming crisis care. Callers to 988 will continue to be met with the highest level of understanding, respect, and affirmation when they reach out for help. |
| “While the Trump administration continues its attacks on LGBTQ kids, California has a message to the gay community: we see you and we’re here for you. We’re proud to work with the Trevor Project to ensure that every person in our state can get the support they need to live a happy, healthy life.” Governor Gavin Newsom |
| “To every young person who identifies as LGBTQ+: You matter. You are not alone. California will continue to show up for you with care, with compassion, and with action,” said Kim Johnson, Secretary of CalHHS. “Through this partnership, California will continue to lead, providing enhanced support for these young people.” “There could not be a more stark reminder of the moral bankruptcy of this Administration than cutting off suicide prevention resources for LGQBT youth. These are young people reaching out in their time of deepest crisis—andI’m proud of California’s work to partner with the Trevor Project to creatively address this need. No matter what this Administration throws at us, I know this state will always meet cruelty with kindness and stand up for what’s right,” said First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom. California’s crisis call centersAcross California, twelve 988 call centers remain staffed around the clock by trained crisis counselors, ready to support anyone in behavioral health crises, including LGBTQ youth. If you, a friend, or a loved one are in crisis or thinking about suicide, you can call, chat, or text 988 and be immediately connected to skilled counselors at all times. Specialized services for LGBTQ youth are also available via The Trevor Project hotline at 1‑866‑488‑7386, which continues as a state-endorsed access point. State supportsCalifornia’s Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative (CYBHI), a key component of Governor’ Newsom’s Master Plan for Kids’ Mental Health, offers behavioral health services and supports for children, youth, and families. In addition to focused messaging for LGBTQ youth within three ongoing statewide youth mental health campaigns, CYBHI has funded more than a dozen community organizations to provide targeted services for LGBTQ youth by establishing or expanding LGBTQ community spaces, increasing workforce supports, reducing behavioral health stigma, and raising awareness about suicide prevention. Additional free continuum-of-care services are available to help address concerns before they become crises, including peer support through CalHOPE and virtual behavioral health services platforms BrightLife Kids and Soluna. These resources are available for all California youth, young adults, and families, regardless of insurance or immigration status. Why this mattersLGBTQ youth are four times more likely to attempt suicide than their peers, and without affirming services, their risk increases dramatically. Since its launch in 2022, the 988 LGBTQ+ “Press 3” line connected more than 1.5 million in crisis. How to get help Call, text or chat 988 at any time to be connected with trained crisis counselors. Text PRIDE, or dial 1‑866‑488‑7386, to reach Trevor Project specialists. Visit CalHOPE for non-crisis peer and family support. |
Solano County Represents at the EQCA Lobby Day in Sacramento, March 26th!
Yesterday, we brought nearly 300 community members, partners, and local advocates together in Sacramento for LGBTQ+ Advocacy Day—a chance for people to meet with lawmakers and advocate for legislation that will positively impact the lives of LGBTQ+ Californians.
![[insert text]](https://prod.cdn.everyaction.com/images/van/EQCA/EQCA/1/81677/images/IMG_5254.jpg)
Equality California is the nation’s largest statewide LGBTQ+ civil rights organization. We bring the voices of LGBTQ+ people and allies to institutions of power in California and across the United States, striving to create a world that is healthy, just, and fully equal for all LGBTQ+ people. We advance civil rights and social justice by inspiring, advocating, and mobilizing through an inclusive movement that works tirelessly on behalf of those we serve. www.eqca.org
Attached, please find an updated April 25 version of the Know Your Rights sheet, as it relates to the anti-transgender executive orders.
Friends,
The Trump administration is considering a plan to eliminate the CDC’s HIV prevention division — a move that would gut critical services like HIV testing, PrEP access, and condom distribution.
The consequences?
🔴 Higher HIV transmission rates
🔴 Increased healthcare costs — each HIV diagnosis costs $500,000 in lifetime treatment
🔴 Decades of progress erased in the fight to end the epidemic
Now is the time to act! Members of Congress need to hear from you.
📞 Call 202-224-3121 and demand your representatives protect HIV prevention funding.
We can’t let the Trump administration get away with this direct attack on public health and our most vulnerable communities. We must hold our elected officials accountable.
Make your voice heard today.
— Valerie
Valerie Ploumpis
National Policy Director
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Advocates for Transgender Equality Advocacy Invitation
Hey friends,
I’m reaching out to ask for your support in protecting health care access for trans people and DACA recipients. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) proposed rule CMS-9884-P would eliminate federal protections requiring ACA marketplace plans to cover gender-affirming care, jeopardizing essential, life-saving treatments for trans individuals nationwide.
We’re launching the Protect Our Healthcare Campaign to drive comments opposing this harmful rule before the April 11, 2025 deadline. Your organization’s voice is critical in challenging this proposal.
How You Can Take Action:
- Submit an Organization Comment:
We’ve created a storytelling-focused comment template for organizations to highlight the real-world impact of this rule. This version is ideal for narrative-driven responses. A more technical template may be available soon if your organization prefers to wait. Organization Comment Template - Mobilize Your Community:You can direct your members to submit personal comments using our individual comment portal. Sharing personal stories is a powerful way to emphasize the harm this rule would cause. Individual Comment Portal
- Amplify on Social Media:
We’ve put together a Social Media Kit to help you spread the word, drive engagement, and rally support. Social Media Kit
Comments are due April 11th!!!!
If you have any questions or require additional resources, please don’t hesitate to contact me directly at dojeda@transequality.org. We deeply appreciate your support in this critical effort to protect trans healthcare.
Thank you for standing with us!
In solidarity,
Devon Ojeda Ph.D. (they/he)
Senior National Organizer
Advocates for Transgender Equality
dojeda@transequality.org
Cell: 813.732.4821
transequality.org | @TransEquality | A4TE on Facebook
transformthevote.org
Attorney General Bonta and 12 Attorneys General Issue Joint Statement on Protecting Access to Gender-Affirming Care
News Release
February 4, 2025
OAKLAND – Attorney General Bonta today joined a coalition of 12 attorneys general to reaffirm their commitment to protecting access to gender-affirming care in the face of the Trump Administration’s recent Executive Order. The coalition released the following statement:
“As state attorneys general, we stand firmly in support of healthcare policies that respect the dignity and rights of all people. Health care decisions should be made by patients, families, and doctors, not by a politician trying to use his power to restrict your freedoms. Gender-affirming care is essential, life-saving medical treatment that supports individuals in living as their authentic selves.
The Trump Administration’s recent Executive Order is wrong on the science and the law. Despite what the Trump Administration has suggested, there is no connection between “female genital mutilation” and gender-affirming care, and no federal law makes gender-affirming care unlawful. President Trump cannot change that by Executive Order.
Last week, attorneys general secured a critical win from a federal court that directed the federal government to resume funding that had been frozen by the Trump Administration. In response to the Court’s Order, the Department of Justice has sent a notice stating that “federal agencies cannot pause, freeze, impede, block, cancel, or terminate any awards or obligations on the basis of the OMB memo, or on the basis of the President’s recently issued Executive Orders.” This means that federal funding to institutions that provide gender-affirming care continues to be available, irrespective of President Trump’s recent Executive Order. If the federal administration takes additional action to impede this critical funding, we will not hesitate to take further legal action.
State attorneys general will continue to enforce state laws that provide access to gender-affirming care, in states where such enforcement authority exists, and we will challenge any unlawful effort by the Trump Administration to restrict access to it in our jurisdictions.”
Joining Attorney General Bonta in issuing this statement are the attorneys general of Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Nevada, Rhode Island and Vermont.
You may view the full account of this posting, including possible attachments, in the News & Alerts section of our website at: https://oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/attorney-general-bonta-and-12-attorneys-general-issue-joint-statement-protecting
Attorney General Bonta Reminds Hospitals and Clinics of Anti-Discrimination Laws Amid Executive Order on Gender Affirming Care
OAKLAND – California Attorney General Rob Bonta today reminded California hospitals and federally-funded healthcare providers of their ongoing obligation under California anti-discrimination law to provide gender affirming care amid confusion resulting from President Trump’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) directive on freezing or pausing federal funding and his executive order on gender affirming care. Attorney General Bonta also issued a letter putting Children’s Hospital Los Angeles on notice of its obligations under state anti-discrimination law, following reports that the hospital is pausing the initiation of hormonal therapies for all gender affirming care patients under the age of 19 and gender-affirming surgeries on minors.
“California supports the rights of transgender youth to live their lives as their authentic selves,” said Attorney General Bonta. “We will not let the President turn back the clock or deter us from upholding California values. I understand that the President’s executive order on gender affirming care has created some confusion. Let me be clear: California law has not changed, and hospitals and clinics have a legal obligation to provide equal access to healthcare services.”
The California Department of Justice is aware of concerns about gender-affirming care being impacted by recent federal government actions attempting to restrict federal funds to recipients of federal grants, including the availability of federal financial assistance regarding the provision of gender affirming care to minors.
On January 28, 2025, Attorney General Bonta, along with 22 other state attorneys general, filed suit in federal district court to halt the federal government’s illegal efforts to freeze such federal funding. The court issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) on January 31, 2025, prohibiting federal agencies from taking any action that would “pause, freeze, block, cancel or terminate” such funding. As a result of the TRO won by Attorney General Bonta and 22 other state attorneys general, federal agencies must continue to comply with existing grants, awards, and obligations, except as authorized by law.
In a notice sent to federal agencies and filed with the court on Monday, the U.S. Department of Justice (U.S. DOJ) indicated its intent to comply with the court order and affirmed that the TRO blocking the illegal funding freeze applied to all federal funding awards or obligations, including those made to recipients such as hospitals, and federally funded healthcare providers. The U.S. DOJ stated that federal agencies “cannot pause, freeze, impede, block, cancel, or terminate any awards or obligations on the basis of the OMB memo, or on the basis of the President’s recently issued Executive Orders.” As such, the recent executive order pertaining to gender-affirming care for minors does not provide federal agencies with any basis to threaten or revoke federal funding from hospitals and federally funded healthcare providers.
Furthermore, California law, including the Unruh Civil Rights Act, Civil Code section 51 and Government Code section 11135, prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. Electing to refuse services to a class of individuals based on their protected status, such as withholding services from transgender individuals based on their gender identity or their diagnosis of gender dysphoria, while offering such services to cisgender individuals, is discrimination. California families seeking gender-affirming care, and the doctors and staff who provide it, are protected under state laws.
RESOURCES
California has a number of resources for transgender youth and the broader LGBTQ+ community:
- California Department of Justice’s Health Equity and Civil Rights webpage
- California Department of Justice’s LGBTQ+ Discrimination Rights webpage
- Transgender, Gender Diverse, and Intersex (TGI) Inclusive Care Act
- California Department of Health Care Services’ Medi-Cal State Inmate Program and Medi-Cal County Inmate Program webpage
- California Civil Rights Department’s The Rights of Employees Who Are Transgender or Gender Nonconforming fact sheet
- California Department of Insurance’s Equal Access to Health Insurance: Coverage for Transgender Californians webpage
- California Department of Managed Health Care’s TGI Care webpage
If you believe your rights are being violated as part of the enforcement of the President’s executive order, you can file a complaint with the California Attorney General’s Office here or with the California Civil Rights Department here.
A copy of the letter to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles is available here.