Will Gavin Newsom sign California’s bill to license more gender-affirming doctors?

California continues to lead among states when it comes to transgender rights and gender-affirming care. The latest indicator: The state Senate recently passed AB 2442, a bill to expedite licensing for specialists in trans healthcare.

The legislation passed out of the Senate on a party-line vote, with Democrats all voting yea and all but two Republicans voting against it, The Sacramento Bee reported. Despite their unified opposition, no Republicans spoke against the bill on the Senate floor. Now the fate of AB 2442 rests in Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s hands.

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AB 2442’s author, California Assemblyman Rick Chavez Zbur, touted his state’s leading role as a sanctuary for trans people and warned of a continuing threat from lawmakers in thrall to MAGA and its culture war on LGBTQ+ people.

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“California has always been a beacon of hope for those seeking essential health care services, whether it’s reproductive health or gender-affirming care. As MAGA-led legislatures across the country attack the transgender community and restrict the care they desperately need, this bill enables California to step up and meet the needs of those traveling here for the services banned in their states,” Zbur in a statement following the bill’s passage.

Planned Parenthood, whose facilities in California provide gender-affirming care, called on Newsom to ensure health equity for the trans community.

“We hope to see AB 2442 signed into law so we can better meet the needs of (transgender, gender diverse and intersex) individuals by ensuring the health care provider workforce is equipped with providers across California that are trained and prepared to provide comprehensive and equitable gender-affirming care to those who seek it in our state,” President and CEO Jodi Hicks said in a statement.

Newsom has until the end of September to sign or veto the bill.

As a longtime LGBTQ+ ally, Newsom hasn’t always fallen in line when it comes to trans issues. Last September, he vetoed a bill that would have required judges to consider whether a parent is “gender-affirming” when determining custody of a transgender child.

Observers noted that Gov. Newsom’s distaste for such court decisions and their potentially negative effects may stem from his own father’s tenure as an appeals court judge. His father was appointed as a judge by Newsom’s predecessor, California Gov. Jerry Brown (D).

In October, Newsom vetoed three pro-LGBTQ+ bills, commending their intent but questioning their reach and constitutionality. Though the bills sought to increase access to gender-affirming and HIV medications, he worried their broad wording could have unintended legal effects.

Newsom has been bold regarding LGBTQ+ rights in other instances. As mayor of San Francisco in 2004, he greenlit same-sex marriages at City Hall in defiance of state law. Kamala Harris, then the city’s district attorney, was a frequent officiant during the four-week run of marriage ceremonies.

More than half of U.S. states have enacted laws to restrict access to gender-affirming care for minors and/or adults, according to the Human Rights Campaign.

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