Gavin Newsom vetoes gender education bill in latest anti-trans insult.

Newsom’s snub to trans people is not just morally wrong, it's a strategic mistake.

By Artemis T. Douglas, Jane Migliara Brigham

On Oct. 7, California Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a gender education bill for California schools, and left ten other bills unsigned that would enhance statewide protections for LGBTQ+ people. 

In contrast, on the same date, Gov. Newsom’s office released a statement sharing that Newsom had signed two new laws into effect- AB 715, and SB 48. These bills, according to Assemblymembers Jesse Gabriel (D-Encino) and Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), send a “strong and unambiguous message — hate has no place in our schools and will not be tolerated.” 

These two pieces of legislation combined create a new Office of Civil Rights and a new statewide position for the coordination of efforts against antisemitism. 

Fighting antisemitism is a worthy goal. However, Gov. Newsom’s choice to veto gender-equitable curriculum and leave unsigned other pro-LGBTQ+ and pro-trans legal protections on the same day he legally enshrined extra protections against antisemitism is a stark contrast. 

It is a contradiction that may beg the question of which forms of hate the government will fight against.

His vetoing of trans-friendly legislation comes after two previous vetoes of similar legislation in two years.  This latest refusal to support transgender people in law is not an outlier, it is part of a pattern of political maneuvering.

The unsigned bills aren't dead. Per Article IV Section 10(b.3) of the California state constitution, as long as Newsom doesn't actively veto them, they'll become law after 12 days.

According to the USTS, transsexuals were some of the most loyal voters for the Democratic Party before their elected officials began throwing trans interests under the rug.  Polling on trans support for Republican officials once dipped as low as 2%, lower than any other demographic of people, including traditionally safe Democratic voting blocks like black women.  In addition, the USTS shows trans people voting at a higher rate than the general population.

It was less than a decade ago that Democratic officials moved heaven and earth to fight against a North Carolina law to segregate public bathrooms.  That state law became a national headline, and the public backlash caused the bill to be repealed, in no small part from pushback by the Democratic party.

A short few years later, party leaders and affiliated pundits have increasingly begun to triangulate justifications for throwing transsexuals into the proverbial meat grinder. 

One such example is Newsom’s podcast interview with far-right podcaster Charlie Kirk, wherein Newsom ceded the incorrect and right-wing framing on trans athletes.

In rhetoric, Newsom is no different than the Republicans were a decade ago. 

Another example of this triangulation by Democrats to throw transsexuals against the rhetorical wall is Tulsi Gabbard.

Gabbard was a Democrat who spent her Congressional years from 2013 to 2019 to, according to her words from a 2019 campaign statement, “help work toward passing legislation that ensures equal rights and protections on LGBTQ+ issues” 

In 2019, when making that statement, Gabbard also promised that “if elected President, I will continue to fight for equal rights for all.” 

However, in the beginning of 2020, after her failed presidential bid, Gabbard started using unscientific and gender-conservative claims about trans women in sports. Early in 2020, Gabbard introduced legislation that would have banned trans women from sports and effectively gag-ruled education funding by modifying Title IX. 

Newsom is following the same playbook.

Vetoing this legislation is more than just morally wrong, it’s a strategic mistake. Newsom seems to have his eyes on the Presidency, but his vetoes of pro-trans legislation now, and in the past, will likely cost him and his party electorally.

If Newsom and other Democrats will not defend trans people’s dignity, they cannot expect their continued support.  With popular support for the Democratic party lower than ever, they are discarding trans people at their own peril.

Editor's note: Coverage from Trans News Network previously covered the pro-LGBTQ+ bills in the California legislature, including the ten that The Needle has noted could still become law. Review their coverage here.