Olivia Russo
News Editor
California state Sen. Scott Weiner, D-San Francisco, introduced Senate Bill 497, which would strengthen the protections of the transgender community, with specifics for health care providers, teachers and anyone seeking gender affirming care.
President Trump has announced executive orders and initiatives banning those who identify as transgender from joining the military, and declaring that the country will recognize two genders: male and female. He also plans to defund gender-affirming care for trans youth.
“The President is attempting to eliminate trans people’s very existence in the eyes of the law, and he has made clear he is willing to violate laws and norms to target them,” Weiner said in a press release last month. “We must do all we can to prevent him, his lawless administration, and his cruel extremist allies from abusing Californians’ sensitive medical information.”
This proposed law focuses on health care providers and the notion of searching private medical records to persecute those in the trans community, something that the Trump Administration has pledged to do during his term.
If this bill does pass, law enforcement would need a warrant before searching the state health care database. The action of accessing or sharing health information from this database without a warrant will be punished as a misdemeanor.
Additionally, any health care provider that is summoned to give medical information in regards to gender affirming care, will be protected from revealing this private information.
“I think it will ease some fears, I think it’s most important that people who are skilled and trained and have committed to being in the health care industry need to understand that no matter who they served, they’re not going to be criminalized for that care,” Kathie Moehlig, executive director of TransFamily Support Services, said.
TransFamily Support Services is one of the many sponsors of the bill.
SB 497 plans to protect any person seeking that needs this type of care in the event of opponents from inside California or outside, as well as their allies.
“So there’s the full legislative package, because it all has to do with medical stuff, it has to do with work stuff, it has to do with school stuff and protecting teachers,” John Bartelt, education professor, said. “And it’s really silly, but if you put the whole package together, you’re not going to be able to come after marginalized communities this way, because we’re building these little bricks.”
Teachers also receive protections in accordance to the bill, where they will be protected for affirming trans youth, or supporting their students who may identify as trans while being under the age of 18.
“I think, as a teacher, to be protected is a luxury,” Linda Bartelt, adjunct education professor, said. “It’s kind of one of those perks that we as teachers need but are not always offered. I could much more easily be fired for my views than [John Bartelt] could. But I’m still willing to protect my students at whatever cost it comes, and I am not going to harm them.”
This is not Senator Weiner’s first bill on protecting the rights of the trans community in California. In 2022, he penned SB 107, which was signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom. This bill declared California as a refuge state for the trans community, so they may be able to seek help from their home states which may put them in dangerous situations.
In addition, SB 107 protected the people and their families who chose to flee the state as well as their doctors from any sort of hostility or mistreatment they were to receive after escaping.
Most recently, Frank Guzman, CEO of Pomona Pride Center, attended an Advocacy Day in Sacramento to meet with legislators to make the case for why bills like SB497 should be voted and signed into law.
“People should not have to advocate further medical rights and be able to make decisions about their own mental health and well-being,” Guzman said. “People should not stop working to protect their kids when they send them to school. So for me, it’s not about just equity but equality on the level that ensures we’re protecting the most vulnerable.”
This bill is currently in the introductory stage, meaning it will need to be discussed in another Senate meeting before further action is taken.
Olivia Russo can be reached at olivia.russo@laverne.edu.
Olivia Russo is a senior journalism major with a concentration in print/online journalism and a minor in criminology. She is the Editor-in-Chief for the Campus Times for Spring 2026. She has previously served as the News Editor, LV Life Editor, a photographer and a staff writer for the Campus Times, as well as a staff writer and photographer for La Verne Magazine.
