Gavin Newsom pressured behind the scenes to kill pro-LGBTQ+ bills, state lawmakers say

The bombshell revelation from Politico is part of a disturbing trend among some Democrats.

After California Governor Gavin Newsom ceded that he “completely aligned” with anti-LGBT extremist Charlie Kirk on certain anti-trans talking points, Politico uncovered yet another damning allegation against the historically lauded ally: that he has allegedly been suppressing pro-LGBT legislation for months now.

“Senior officials in Gavin Newsom’s administration discouraged Democrats from introducing transgender rights legislation weeks before the governor publicly split with his party on trans athletes,” the article said, citing a meeting that took place this past January. However, the Legislature’s LGBTQ Caucus pushed back, proposing a package of trans-friendly bills anyway. This follows similar directives from gubernatorial aides ahead of the election last year.

The state’s LGBTQ Caucus did not respond to a request for comment. A spokeswoman for the governor told Erin in the Morning that Newsom is committed to “productive conversations with the LGBTQ Caucus to advance legislation, including important measures supporting the health, safety, and well-being of transgender Californians.”

Some Californians, however, sounded alarm bells about the direction that those “conversations” are now going.

“Newsom has had a strong record of supporting LGBTQ+ rights,” said Jorge Reyes Salinas, the communications director at California Equality. “We just want to make sure that he is reaffirming his commitment to every single letter of that — including the transgender community. California needs leaders who will stand firm in protecting the rights and dignity of transgender youth, and not waiver under political pressure.”

During his tenure as governor, Newsom has signed off on a number of progressive policies, such as bills protecting trans youth health care and expanding gender neutral bathroom access. This is, in part, what made recent events such a “betrayal,” according to Dr. Kathryn J. Perkins, the department chair of the political science program at California State University - Long Beach. She specializes in LGBTQ laws and policy.

“I was blindsided,” Perkins said. “Newsom's reputation was built on his decision as San Francisco mayor to give marriage licenses to same-sex couples, and he was one of the most prominent Democrats to take early pro-LGBT positions — not just on marriage, but also on trans rights.”

By pivoting, Perkins said it calls into question whether local officials will enforce existing laws protecting trans people. “That only matters if we have state leaders who have the courage and legal backing to say, “This is our state law, we're going to defend it,” she told Erin in the Morning.

The implications also extend beyond the Golden State. Newsom’s White House ambitions are no secret. As the 2028 election looms, it seems the Democratic Party’s platform — and its priorities — will be put in the hot seat. Newsom is widely regarded as a frontrunner for the presidential nomination.

“It opens up space for lots of other Democratic presidential candidates to take the same position — it can lead to a potential shift in the national political landscape at the very time when the trans community is most vulnerable,” Perkins said.

This trajectory appears to be a continuation, in some ways, of the Biden Administration and the 2024 presidential campaign. Democrats had backed down from hot button issues such as trans rights and the genocide in Gaza. That strategy, the thinking went, would court a more centrist voting bloc, and carry Vice President Kamala Harris to victory over Donald Trump.

Famously, it did not.

But some Democratic lawmakers across the country continue to make similar bets. New York’s Rep. Tom Suozzi chastised the party for “pandering to the far left” in its support for trans athletes. Massachussetts’ Rep. Seth Moulton came under fire for espousing similar rhetoric. Even in Hawai’i, which has a Democratic supermajority in the house and senate and a Democratic governor, legislators have quietly been shying away from support of trans-affirming policies, according to Abby Simmons, a Democrat and chair of the state’s party’s Stonewall Caucus.

“We've heard from legislators that this is considered a controversial topic and that they'd rather not engage in bills that could draw attention to Hawai’i from the Trump Administration,” she told Erin in the Morning.

However, there are still Democrats like Simmons, and legislators in California, who are holding the line. The federal government has threatened California, Maine and Minnesota for their trans-inclusive sports policy, and the attorneys general appear ready to put up a fight.