Alexander Hernandez
Staff Writer
California Gov. Gavin Newsom recently signed into law a bill protecting gender-affirming care.
The new law, signed in October, went into effect immediately. It also prohibits health care providers from releasing medical information related to anyone seeking or obtaining gender-affirming health care or mental health care. This provision is in response to other states that have passed laws making gender affirming care illegal.
To date at least 27 states have passed laws banning or restricting gender affirming care.
The California law, authored by California Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, who said in a press release that the new law is designed to protect those in the transgender community, as they face attacks by the Trump administration.
“President Trump has made it clear he is willing to violate laws and norms to target transgender people, and that he will not stop until their existence has been erased from public life,” Weiner said in the release. “California must do everything in our power to protect the transgender community.
“The Trump Administration is trying to make transgender people the scapegoats for their fascist takeover.”
University of La Verne students and faculty – particularly those who are part of the LGBTQ+ community and allies – have felt the creeping threat of the Trump administration and so many states’ anti-trans actions.
News of the new state law brought a glimmer of hope.
“These restrictions are really damaging to trans youth and trans people in general,” said Helen Bravo, treasurer for the University’s Pride Coalition and freshman biology major. “Having those rights protected in California sets a precedent to help other states. For states that don’t protect trans youth and are currently putting them in danger, I feel like that sets them in perspective on how terribly they’re treating trans people as human beings.
“They’re people as well and everyone deserves to have that important healthcare and protection,” Bravo added.
Linda and John Bartelt, professors of education who advise the Pride Coalition, said the current administration is diminishing those within the community. They hope the state law will make California a safe haven for trans people.
“I know people that won’t leave California now because they’re not safe to do so,” Linda Bartelt said. “I’m proud to live in a state that looks after its people and not just one aspect of a certain social economic group of people, meaning rich people.”
“We’re not going to allow the right wing evangelical MAGA idiots to encroach on freedoms,” John Bartelt added. “Everything that is not straight, white, male supremacist. The (new law) sends a message of ‘we’re gonna be reasonable and we care about human rights and social justice in this state.’ It’s all tied together.”
Alexander Hernandez can be reached at alexander.hernandez3@laverne.edu.
Alexander Hernandez is a senior communications major with a concentration in public relations, and a staff writer for the Campus Times.
