As federal resources wane, CA lawmakers look to support LGBTQ+ youth

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THE DEBATE OVER STUDENT IDS

A controversial bill that would require public schools to print an LGBTQ+ specific hotline phone number on student identification cards, is set to face its next hurdle in the Senate Education Committee Wednesday.

The bill is making its way through the Legislature as the Trump administration makes cuts to national LGBTQ+ resources.

Assemblymember Mark Gonzalez, D-Los Angeles, authored the bill to put the Trevor Project’s 24/7 crisis hotline on the student IDs of 7th through 12th graders and those in higher education. On the Senate side, state Sens. Sabrina Cervantes, D-Riverside and Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco have signed onto Assembly bill 727. It also mandates annual updates to the California Department of Education’s website with LGBTQ+ resources.

A law that went into effect at the beginning of the month already requires public and private schools serving 7th through 12th graders to print the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline on student identification cards. Some lawmakers opposed to the bill, argue this provides ample resources to youth experiencing mental health crises.

But proponents of the bill say it’s not enough, as LGBTQ+ youth are more likely than their peers to experience mental health issues. According to the most recent Centers for Disease Control data, 41% of LGBTQ+ students have seriously considered suicide, compared to 13% of cisgender and heterosexual students. Lawmakers say these students need specialized support that will soon not be provided by 988.

Since 2022, the Lifeline has provided LGBTQ+ specific services by prompting users to press three on their device to be connected to a crisis counselor trained to support LGBTQ+ callers.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, which oversees the Lifeline, announced last month that it would no longer “silo LGB+ youth services” starting on July 17. In a statement SHMHSA said the change was made to focus on helping all callers, including those who previously used the press three option.

The Trevor Project’s hotline, on the other hand, is directly designed to serve LGBTQ+ youth. But as much as bill supporters tout the hotline, opponents rip into the organization’s advocacy branch. It supports causes related to its stated goal of ending LGBTQ youth suicide. Among other things it advocates for ending conversion therapy, creating safe and welcoming schools and collecting LGBTQ+ inclusive data.

Assemblymember Carl Demaio, R-San Diego, expressed his opposition to the bill as a ‘gay Republican’ on the Assembly floor. The bill, he said, will force the Legislature to support a left-wing political organization and advertise it to students.

“And no, it’s not anti-gay to oppose this sort of political marketing being added to student identification cards,” DeMaio said. “Please, this is a bridge too far.”

Other opponents, such as the California Family Council and National Center for Law and Policy say the bill infringes on parental and religious rights.

“Parents deserve the right to guide their children’s moral and spiritual development,” the CFC wrote, “without the state undermining that role.”

Gonzalez maintains that the bill does not pose a threat to religious communities and amended the bill to exempt private schools.

“I am living proof that queerness and faith are not in conflict,” Gonzalez said. “They can coexist, not just in me, but in countless young people who are desperately searching for a sign that they belong, even if it’s something as small as what’s printed on the back of their high school ID card.”

LATE SENATOR FEINSTEIN TO BE HONORED AT TAHOE SUMMIT

Via Rebecca-Ann Jattan...

U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff, D-California, announced Tuesday the 29th annual Lake Tahoe Summit will take place on August 6 in South Lake Tahoe. This year’s theme is “Protecting Lake Tahoe: Balancing Sustainable Recreation and Conservation.”

The summit will honor the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein who represented California in the U.S. Senate, where she served from 1992 to 2023. She died in September 2023.

Former Sens. Feinstein and Harry Reid, D-Nevada, created the Summit in 1997. The annual event centers on protecting the Tahoe Basin, recognizing the ongoing progress and looking forward to the future of the lake. Federal, state and local actors will be present to continue Feinstein’s work, including other Senators, House members and the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California.

“I am deeply honored to have the opportunity to host the annual Lake Tahoe Summit this year,” Schiff said in a release. “Senator Dianne Feinstein was a stalwart protector of Lake Tahoe, and as someone who has the honor of filling her seat in the U.S. Senate, I look forward to continuing her commitment to protecting this precious resource for future generations.”

The 2025 Summit marks Schiff’s first stab at hosting the event and with his history of environmental activism, might present a new chapter for the Tahoe Summit.

The summit will be held at Valhalla Tahoe, which was Senator Feinstein’s favorite venue, and the last site she hosted a summit of her own in 2019. Jeremy Renner, a Lake Tahoe resident and actor, will be the keynote speaker at this year’s event.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“I believe it (has) the greatest potential to change the world and society since the Industrial Revolution. Technological innovation is crucial, but our children cannot be used as guinea pigs to test the safety of new products in real time.”

— State Sen. Steve Padilla, D-Chula Vista, stumping for his bill to regulate AI chatbots

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