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California Gov. Gavin Newsom Signs 9 Pro-LGBTQ+ Bills Into Law

Trudy Ring
Mon, September 25, 2023 



California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed nine LGBTQ-supportive bills into law last week after vetoing one.

Newsom, a Democrat, announced the signings Saturday evening.

The bills are:

Assembly Bill 5 sets timelines for implementing LGBTQ+ cultural competency training for public school teachers and staff


Senate Bill 857 creates an advisory task force to identify the needs of LGBTQ+ students and put supportive measures into force


SB 407 directs the California Department of Social Services, when evaluating foster care homes, to make sure LGBTQ+ young people are not placed in hostile environments


AB 223 requires any petition for a change of gender and sex identifier by a minor to be kept confidential by the court


AB 760 requires public colleges and universities to update student records to reflect legally changed names and genders


AB 783 directs cities to advise applicants for business licenses that single-user restrooms must be labeled all-gender


SB 760 sets standards for all-gender restrooms in public and private K-12 schools


SB 372 requires licensing boards to update records to recognize legally changed names and genders


AB 994 assures that law enforcement uses arrestees’ chosen names and pronouns when posting information on social media, with some exceptions


The bill Newsom vetoed last week would have required courts, when making custody decisions, to consider whether a parent is supportive of a child’s gender identity. Newsom had said this measure went too far in dictating court actions and could have led “other-minded” politicians in California and elsewhere to “use this strategy to diminish the civil rights of vulnerable communities.”

Democratic Sen. Scott Wiener, who is gay, had objected to Newsom’s veto of that legislation but praised his signing of SB 407, which Wiener authored. “LGBTQ youth deserve a supportive and affirming home the same as any other child,” Wiener said in a statement to The Bay Area Reporter. “I’m proud that California is taking this step to expand support for LGBTQ youth at a time when elected leaders in other states are targeting them with cruel restrictions and hate.”

In a press release, Newsom said, “California is proud to have some of the most robust laws in the nation when it comes to protecting and supporting our LGBTQ+ community, and we’re committed to the ongoing work to create safer, more inclusive spaces for all Californians. These measures will help protect vulnerable youth, promote acceptance, and create more supportive environments in our schools and communities. I thank Senator Eggman and the LGBTQ Caucus for their dedicated leadership and partnership in advancing our state’s values of equality, freedom and acceptance.”

In the release, Sen. Susan Talamantes Eggman, chair of the California Legislative LGBTQ Caucus, added, “This year the LGBTQ Caucus took up the important work of protecting our communities in the face of vile anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric, discriminatory laws across the country, and hatred. I appreciate the Governor’s partnership in signing some of our priority and endorsed legislation today and hope we can continue to educate about the harm LGBTQ+ people will continue to face if we fail to act.”

“While states across the nation are passing legislation that puts LGBTQ+ people and especially youth at risk, California is sending a clear message today — hate-filled attacks will not be tolerated and we will continue protecting and ensuring the safety of all members of the LGBTQ+ community,” Equality California Executive Director Tony Hoang noted in the release. “We are thankful to our legislative partners for championing these important bills and to Governor Newsom for continuing to be such a strong ally in improving and protecting the wellbeing of the LGBTQ+ community as we face growing attacks from far-right extremists.”

California Gov. Gavin Newsom signs bills to bolster protections for LGBTQ people

Associated Press
Mon, September 25, 2023 


SACRAMENTO, Calif. – California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed several bills over the weekend aimed at bolstering the state’s protections for LGBTQ people, after issuing a controversial veto that was criticized by advocates.

The new laws include legislation that focuses on support for LGBTQ youth. One law sets timelines for required cultural competency training for public school teachers and staff, while another creates an advisory task force to determine the needs of LGBTQ students and help advance supportive initiatives. A third requires families to show that they can and are willing to meet the needs of a child in foster care regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

“California is proud to have some of the most robust laws in the nation when it comes to protecting and supporting our LGBTQ+ community, and we’re committed to the ongoing work to create safer, more inclusive spaces for all Californians,” Newsom said in a statement on Saturday. “These measures will help protect vulnerable youth, promote acceptance, and create more supportive environments in our schools and communities.”

The governor also signed legislation that requires schools serving first through 12th grade to have at least one gender-neutral bathroom available for students by 2026.

The law was spurred by a Southern California school district that instituted a policy requiring schools to tell parents when their children change their pronouns or use a bathroom of a gender other than the one listed on their official paperwork. A judge halted the policy after California Attorney General Rob Bonta sued the Chino Valley Unified School District. The lawsuit is ongoing.

The governor’s bill-signings came after Newsom vetoed a bill on Friday that would have required judges to consider whether a parent affirms their child’s gender identity when making custody and visitation decisions.

Assembly member Lori Wilson, a Democrat who introduced the bill and has an adult son who came out as transgender when he was a teenager, was among the LGBTQ advocates who criticized the governor’s decision.

“I’ve been disheartened over the last few years as I watched the rising hate and heard the vitriol toward the trans community. My intent with this bill was to give them a voice, particularly in the family court system where a non-affirming parent could have a detrimental impact on the mental health and well-being of a child,” Wilson said in a statement.

California state Sen. Scott Wiener, who co-sponsored the bill, called Newsom's veto "a tragedy for trans kids," according to a statement posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.

"Governor Newsom has been such a staunch ally to the LGBTQ community. A true champion. Respectfully, however, this veto is a mistake," Wiener added.

Newsom said existing laws already require courts to consider health, safety and welfare when determining the best interests of a child in custody cases, including the parent’s affirmation of the child’s gender identity.

The veto comes amid intense political battles across the country over transgender rights, including efforts to impose bans on gender-affirming care, bar trans athletes from girls and women’s sports, and require schools to notify parents if their children ask to use different pronouns or changes their gender identity.

Contributing: Christopher Cann, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY


California governor signs law requiring gender-neutral bathrooms in schools by 2026

Justin Gamble and Nicole Chavez, CNN
Mon, September 25, 2023 

Smith Collection/Gado/Archive Photos/Getty Images/FILE

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed a law requiring K-12 schools to provide gender-neutral bathrooms by July 2026.

The new law, Senate Bill 760, was among a series of laws signed by Newsom Saturday to expand protections for the state’s LGBTQ community.

“California is proud to have some of the most robust laws in the nation when it comes to protecting and supporting our LGBTQ+ community,” Newsom said in a statement.

Under the law, “each school district, county office of education, and charter school” would be required to have at least one gender-neutral bathroom on campus on or before July 1, 2026. The bathroom must be available for use during school hours and during school functions when students are present, the law states.

The law allows for the temporary closure of any gender-neutral bathroom only if there is a documented student safety concern, an immediate threat to student safety or for the bathroom to be repaired.

The law also requires the gender-neutral bathroom to have signage identifying the space as being open to all genders, be unlocked and accessible to all students. It requires schools to designate a staff member to serve as a point of contact to ensure the bathroom is compliant with state law.

State Sen. Josh Newman, who sponsored the law, applauded the governor’s action, telling CNN it was “only fair that everybody has access to a restroom without fear of outing, bullying, or stigmatization.”

Newman said he hopes the law becomes a model for other states to help protect children.

Tony Hoang, executive director of the LGBTQ civil rights group Equality California, said the governor’s action sends a “clear message” that California will protect the rights of the LGBTQ community.

“Hate-filled attacks will not be tolerated and we will continue protecting and ensuring the safety of all members of the LGBTQ+ community,” Hoang said.

In recent years, school districts across the country have debated LGBTQ inclusion and representation, including whether to allow classroom instruction on gender identity, CNN previously reported.

The issue of bathroom access has been the focus of national debate for years. In 2016, North Carolina enacted a law that required people using public bathrooms and locker rooms to use rooms that corresponded to the gender on their birth certificates, if the rooms in question were multiple-occupancy. The measure drew intense criticism from businesses and advocates and it was later repealed.

At the time, former President Back Obama’s administration issued guidance directing schools to let transgender students use facilities that correspond with their gender identity. Those protections were later withdrawn by the Trump administration in 2017.

Newsom signed the series of new protections for LGBTQ Californians into law a day after he vetoed a bill that would have required state judges to consider whether a parent affirms their child’s gender identity when granting custody and visitation.

In a statement explaining the veto, the governor noted that California’s courts are already required to consider a child’s health, safety and welfare, “including the parent’s affirmation of the child’s gender identity.”

He also urged caution “when the Executive and Legislative branches of state government attempt to dictate - in prescriptive terms that single out one characteristic - legal standards for the Judicial branch to apply.”

“Other-minded elected officials, in California and other states, could very well use this strategy to diminish the civil rights of vulnerable communities,” he wrote.

Several other states have issued policies relating to LGBTQ students and bathroom access. Earlier this year, a law went into effect in Idaho that prohibits transgender students from using public school bathrooms that do not align with their gender assigned at birth. Last month, a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order, blocking enforcement of the law.

 CNN