Here are some ways California lawmakers could protect transgender people from Trump
Good morning and welcome to the A.M. Alert!
HOW CAN CALIFORNIA LAWMAKERS HELP TRANSGENDER PEOPLE?
In less than one month, a new session of the California Legislature will begin. But lawmakers won’t have to wait til January to start work, because Gov. Gavin Newsom has convened a special session to begin after lawmakers are sworn in on Dec. 2.
Newsom and his Democratic allies, including Attorney General Rob Bonta, have indicated that the purpose of this session is to harden the Golden State’s resistance to the incoming administration of President-Elect Donald Trump. That includes “Trump-proofing” the state on issues of abortion, immigration, the environment and LGBTQ equality.
The plan is to approve a reservoir of funds for Bonta’s office to challenge the Trump administration in court — a strategy Bonta and his predecessor, Xavier Becerra, employed extensively during the first Trump administration.
But how else might a Democratic supermajority-controlled Legislature help protect LGBTQ people, particularly transgender people, after Trump is sworn in next year?
Journalist and transgender activist Erin Reed had some ideas.
In her Substack, “Erin In The Morning,” she wrote about ways that California lawmakers can shield trans people from a hostile presidential administration.
“As a journalist who has covered legislative attacks on the transgender community for years, I see this as a pivotal moment that will demand creative solutions, political will, and a clear message that Democrats are committed to protecting marginalized communities in their darkest hour. Here is what (Newsom) can do,” Reed wrote.
Among the avenues that she encouraged state lawmakers to explore were to fill likely gaps in federal funding for gender-affirming medical care. She wrote that a GOP-controlled Congress could use the the Hyde Amendment, which blocks federal dollars from being spent on abortion-related services, as the blueprint for denying federal funding for gender-affirming care.
Likewise, Reed wrote that California could take steps to stockpile puberty blockers and hormone therapies (such as estrogen, testerone and progesterone) much as it did for the abortion medication misoprostol.
Reed had other policy recommendations, which you can read about here.
ARE YOU ON BLUESKY? REACH OUT!
And finally, the micro-blogging social media platform X (formerly Twitter) has seen an exodus (X-odus?) of users to upstart competitor Bluesky, partially in response to billionaire owner Elon Musk’s decision to change how blocking works so that blocked accounts can still see the blocker’s posts. It also comes as misinformation and disinformation has thrived on Musk’s platform.
The question now is, if or when will #CALeg people — journalists, staffers and lawmakers — make the jump? Newsom has an account there, though he hasn’t used it in months. Several lawmakers and staffers have established accounts on another X competitor, Threads (which is owned by Meta), but thus far none appear to have an account on Bluesky. Who will be the first?
Despite the many criticisms of the platform, Newsom and many other elected officials, as well as federal, state and local government agencies, still maintain accounts on X, viewing it as an important method of communication with the public.
Never fear, The Bee has established a beachhead on Bluesky. You can follow reporters Andrew Sheeler and Jenavieve Hatch here and here, respectively. And if you’re a Capitol reporter, staffer or elected official, be sure to reach out to Sheeler, who is putting together a “starter pack” of must-follow #CALeg accounts.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“There have been times before when Americans have confronted forces of alienation, fragmentation and plutocratic control — but the work starts with us and the will to change, and nowhere else.”
- Former Los Angeles Times journalist Matt Pearce, discussing journalism’s fight for survival in the current media economy, in a Substack blog post.
Best of The Bee:
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Gavin Newsom heads to Washington to ask for last-minute help from Biden administration, via David Lightman and Nicole Nixon.
Election Day is over in California. Who’s responsible for removing campaign signs? Via Angela Rodriguez.
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Gov. Gavin Newsom announces $33 million in funding for California veterans’ mental health, via Jenavieve Hatch.
This story was originally published November 12, 2024 at 4:55 AM.