Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, claimed in an interview that he has signed the most trans-supportive bills out of any governor.
This past week, Governor Newsom was interviewed on The Ezra Klein Show and discussed his support of trans and LGBTQ+ people. He states: “There’s no governor who has signed more pro-trans legislation than I have. No one has been a stronger advocate for the LGBTQ community.” And he may be right in some ways. In his time in office, 47 pro-LGBTQ+ bills have been signed into law. Out of these bills, 21 of them are trans-centric. California has been deemed a sanctuary state for trans people seeking gender-affirming care and also has made the process of legal gender and name changes easier and more private.
There have been a few not signed by Newsom, however. For example, a bill that would have brought gender-inclusive language and teaching in health education was not passed. Newsom has claimed that he wanted a study done of the current health curriculum before anything like this was signed into law. He has also voiced his lack of support for trans people in gender-separated sports, saying on multiple occasions that such inclusion is “deeply unfair.” His opinion was shared on Charlie Kirk’s podcast, and echoed again on The Ezra Klein Show. Despite there not being any evidence thus far of trans girls and women having a clear advantage over cis girls and women, Newsom is not on trans people’s side for this issue. Even while holding this opinion, though, he has at least still been in support of trans athletes in schools. Newsom was fighting the Trump administration and not getting rid of bills that protect those athletes, even with continued right-wing pressure. A little contradicting, but regardless, his policy decisions have been mostly beneficial for trans people.
Newsom has had a solid streak of support for trans people in California. And he’s most likely right about his claim—Out of many pro-trans governors, Newsom has been very consistent in politically protecting trans citizens. Despite his beliefs about trans girls and women having athletic advantage over cis girls and women, he has still been primarily supportive. It will be interesting to see what direction Newsom continues to go, given the current administration’s consistent anti-trans rhetoric. Hopefully, California can and will remain a safe haven for trans people.
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