California Gov. Gavin Newsom, center, at the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Oct. 13 issued a legislative update on over 150 bills that had passed legislation and were waiting on his decision on whether or not they would be chaptered into law.
Eleven of these bills advocated for queer community members, including their improved access to healthcare, more privacy rights, greater ease in changing their name and gender markers, as well as the expansion of adoption rights and the inclusion of two-spirit individuals into important funding and resource opportunities.
Two were vetoed.
AB 554: Greater access to HIV/AIDS preventative medicine (Vetoed)
First introduced in February, Assembly Bill 554 was co-authored by local Assemblymember Mark González and San Francisco Assemblymember Matt Haney. Also known as the Protecting Rights, Expanding Prevention, and Advancing Reimbursement for Equity (PrEPARE) Act of 2025, the bill intended to expand patients’ access to various forms of FDA-approved HIV/AIDS preventative medication. It would have prohibited health insurance plans from subjecting these forms of medication to prior authorization, step therapy, or cost-sharing. It would have also required the state to reimburse local agencies for administering this medicine, alleviating the strain on small clinics to meet the demand of community members in need of PrEP.
Though LGBTQ civil rights groups like Equality California rallied support for the bill, it was returned by the governor without a signature. In a veto memo, he wrote that he “wholeheartedly [supports] efforts to ensure affordable and accessible prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS” but questioned whether the bill would actually increase the affordability of and access to necessary preventative treatment. “By exceeding the cost-sharing provisions under the ACA [Affordable Care Act], this bill would result in increased costs to health plans, which would then be passed on to consumers.”
In response, González wrote to the Los Angeles Blade about his disappointment. Still, he remains hopeful about the state of PrEP access. “I’m deeply grateful to Gov. Newsom for his continued partnership and for standing with us in protecting access to PrEP through this year’s budget.”
SB 418: Stronger access to gender-affirming care without discrimination (Vetoed)
Authored by state Sen. Caroline Menjivar, Senate Bill 418 would have required a health care service plan to cover up to a 12-month supply of FDA-approved prescription hormone therapy and the supplies needed by an individual to self-administer this medication without being subjected to utilization management methods like prior authorization.
The bill was also intended to prohibit health insurers from denying a patient the ability to enroll in or renew their health insurance plans based on factors like sex characteristics, intersex traits, and gender identity.
In late January, President Donald Trump released a statement that the federal government would “not fund, sponsor, promote, assist, or support the so-called ‘transition’ of a child from one sex to another.” As healthcare for transgender, gender-expansive, and intersex individuals becomes increasingly unstable under the current administration, Senate Bill 418 aimed to protect TGI community members and their ability to access critical and necessary hormone therapy and gender-affirming care.
In the governor’s veto memo, he wrote that he was “concerned” about the bill’s limitation on utilization management methods. For him, it’s an “important tool [that ensured] enrollees receive the right care at the right time. Prohibiting this cost constraint strategy is likely to result in an increase in enrollee premiums to offset costs incurred by health plans and insurers.”
For Menjivar, this decision was “heartbreaking” as TGI individuals continue to face barriers to vital care.
“SB 418 was the most tangible and effective legislative tool introduced this year to help TGI folks weather this political storm,” Menjivar wrote to the Blade. Still, she says that she is committed to continue fighting to secure health care access for TGI community members.
The vetoing of these two bills was a major blow for LGBTQ civil rights organizations and advocates. Equality California Executive Director Tony Hoang wrote about his disappointment in a recent press release.
“These bills would have guaranteed that transgender people and their families could continue to access essential medications without disruption and that people at risk of HIV could obtain PrEP quickly and affordably,” wrote Hoang. “The governor’s decision to veto these measures undermines California’s longstanding leadership in advancing health equity and protecting the LGBTQ+ community.”
But with these setbacks came a number of wins. Newsom passed nine other bills advancing the rights of LGBTQ individuals.
SB 59: Confidentiality protections for trans, nonbinary individuals
This bill, authored by state Sen. Scott Wiener, will ensure that when someone files a legal petition to change their name or their gender marker, these court records are kept confidential. Additionally, Senate Bill 59 will prohibit people other than the petitioner to post these confidential records online.
AB 678: Creating an LGBTQ inclusive council on homelessness
Created by Assemblymember Alex Lee, Assembly Bill 678 will require the governor to build an Interagency Council on Homelessness that will form relationships between federal and state agencies with local, on-the-ground coalitions and nonprofit organizations that focus on working with unhoused communities. Together, they will work on creating strategies to end homelessness.
The bill also specifically requires this council to actively work with LGBTQ leaders and community members to ensure that the strategies it develops are inclusive and culturally competent.
AB 1525: Restricting disciplinary action against attorneys on the basis of ‘sensitive services, which includes gender-affirming care
The California State Assembly’s Judiciary Committee created this bill to prohibit disciplinary action against attorneys who receive, advocate for, recommend, or enable “sensitive services,” which include health care services for sexual and reproductive health, sexually transmitted illnesses, and gender-affirming care.
AB 1084: Streamlining court processes for name and gender marker changes
Created by Assemblymember Rick Zbur, Assembly Bill 1084 aims to quicken the process and limit barriers trans and nonbinary individuals face when filing to change their name and gender marker. The bill will require courts to issue orders within six weeks from when a petition is filed, and without a hearing. The bill will also prohibit others from being able to file an objection to a petitioner’s name or gender marker change.
SB 450: Protecting adoption rights for LGBTQ+ parents and families
Authored by Menjivar, Senate Bill 450 will allow queer parents from other states to claim parentage rights to their adopted children born in California.
“The signing of SB 450 is a win for LGBTQ+ parents who want what every parent wants, the protection of their legal rights as the parents of their children,” Menjivar wrote to the Blade. “SB 450 clarifies California’s longstanding jurisdiction for adoption proceedings, including confirmatory adoptions, in cases where the families no longer live, or never lived, in the state but the child was born here. This means LGBTQ+ families, who are weighing the options of potentially leaving an affirming state to a Red State for financial reasons, can at least now feel confident that decision won’t cost them their parental rights.”
SB 497: Protecting right to gender-affirming care from out-of-state law enforcement
Authored by Wiener, Senate Bill 497 is another bill focused on providing protections for trans and nonbinary individuals. It will prohibit healthcare providers and service plans from releasing medical information related to gender-affirming care for a patient who is being pursued by out-of-state law enforcement officials. SB 497 would also generally safeguard against out-of-state subpoenas that would prevent a person’s ability to access gender-affirming care.
SB 590: Including chosen family members in paid family leave laws
Authored by state Sen. Maria Durazo, this bill would alter existing laws around paid family leave, which currently provides wage replacement benefits for up to eight weeks for workers who take time off work to take care of seriously ill family members. Senate Bill 590 will expand this definition of family members to include “designated” persons. For many queer individuals, their “chosen family” members are often just as crucial, if not more than, their blood relatives. This bill opens up the scope of what is considered a family member, allowing LGBTQ individuals wage protections if they take time away to care for these loved ones.
AB 1487: Expanding equity fund to include two-spirit communities
Co-authored by Assemblymembers Dawn Addis and Mark González, Assembly Bill 1487 will rename the existing Transgender, Gender Nonconforming, and Intersex Wellness and Equity Fund to the Two-Spirit, Transgender, Gender Nonconforming, and Intersex (2TGI) Wellness and Equity Fund. This will enable the fund to grant financial support to organizations that serve two-spirit and LGBTQ tribal community members in a number of services, including: workforce development training, resettlement and social integration programs, youth outreach, healthcare support, and more.
AB 82: Confidentiality protections for patients and providers of reproductive and gender-affirming care
Authored by Assemblymember Chris Ward, this bill will allow reproductive or gender-affirming health care patients and service providers who face violence and harassment because of their association with such care to request that state and local agencies protect the confidentiality of their identities and addresses.
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