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!
Vacaville Indivisible “Fight for Our Democracy and Constitution” protest on Saturday, July 12th at 10:00 am – 11:30 am. Vacaville City Hall, 650 Merchant St.
Public parking is available behind City Hall off of Walnut Street. Bring your signs and spirit of American protest. Our chant is “this is what Democracy looks like”.
*A core principle behind all Indivisible events is a commitment to non-violent action. We expect all participants to seek to de-escalate any potential confrontation with those that disagree with our values.
Hello, People of Fairfield CA!
We will be meeting at Garamendi’s office building next week for a National Day of Action celebrating the life and contributions to liberty by Civil Rights Activist and Congressman John Lewis, who passed on five years ago on 7/17.
Please consider coming out to rally for Freedom and Civil Rights here in Fairfield. Make Good Trouble by carrying your voices and signs in protest of the actions of this current administration. Register for the event at Indivisible.org, or just show up if that’s not possible. The easiest way to find the event on the Indivisible website is to search “Fairfield.” It is a “John Lewis” event.
We will be collecting food for the local food bank, in solidarity with other Solano County Indivisible groups. Be sure whatever you bring is not perishable!
We will also have information about our civil rights in the event you have a confrontation with ICE.
Let’s also be sure to speak up about a “NO Detention Center at Travis AFB.” So far there has been no further talk about it, but that is no guarantee it’s not in the planning stages.
This will be my last rally as your Event Host and Group Leader. If you’re interested in picking up the baton, reach out to me and I’ll be happy to get you started.
There Is NO rally this week, on 7/10.
It’s been Amazing. Let’s do it one more time!
Azonia Haney
Next big HANDS OFF! Fairfield, Thursday, July 17th afternoon from 5:00 to 6:30 pm at the corner of Pennsylvania Street & Travis Blvd. (in front of Garamendi’s office).
The Fairfield Hands Off group has a Facebook page you should join!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1197790722132920
This is a nationally organized event and your participation matters. Bring your signs, your friends and your voices.
(Sponsored by MobilizeUS, hosted by Azonia Haney, public citizen of Fairfield). Contact Azonia Haney to help make it happen at (503) 419-8469 or handsoff.fairfieldca@gmail.com
To register, see more details, and share, go here: https://www.mobilize.us/freedomoverfascism/event/791514/
Vallejo/Benicia Good Trouble Lives On event at 5 pm on July 17th at Benicia City Park, at the top of First Street! Co-sponsored by Vallejo-Benicia Indivisible, League of Women Voters Solano and the Vallejo-Benicia AAWU.
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
Equality California
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
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
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.