Opinion | Governor Newsom’s Depraved MAGA Betrayal Mandates Mass Resistance From LGBTQ+ Californians

Newsom’s capricious rhetoric attacking LGBTQ+ Californians will be met by massive protest and resistance from within his state, and activists must mobilize to end his political future.

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The LGBTQ+ community has mobilized in full force against existential threats against trans people in California, as seen at last month’s protest at Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles. Photo by Mady Castigan

LOS ANGELES, CA — In 2004, then-Mayor of San Francisco Gavin Newsom made a name for himself by bravely issuing thousands of marriage licenses to gay couples years before it was legal. Today, Governor Newsom chose to destroy his legacy and political future by cowardly “aligning” himself with the Christian nationalist and transphobic beliefs of far-right provocateur Charlie Kirk.

Few words can articulate the depravity and capriciousness of Newsom’s new “alignment,” which will no doubt have significant ramifications to the hundreds of thousands of trans people who live in California and are now effectively being governed by a Republican-lite.

The trans sports ban he supports is anti-scientific and guaranteed to harm cis and trans women alike. His opposition to treating trans prisoners with human decency required by the Eighth Amendment is aligned with the exceptionally cruel and inhumane treatment of trans prisoners in Florida, who are subject to forced head shavings and medical detransition. And his sudden turn on gender affirming care for minors has significant ramifications for the state’s ability to protect the tens of thousands of trans youth in the state who rely on that care to survive–many of whom traveled across the country to be here.

It’s hard to even understand the political strategy behind Newsom’s MAGA pivot, since it no doubt severely hampers his chances at winning the 2028 Democratic Primaries (Newsom is term-limited as Governor and leaves office after 2026). On the other hand, If Newsom is trying to pivot to becoming a Republican, he will have tough luck convincing the MAGA base that his years of signing bills supporting the trans rights he now opposes was a mere slip-up. Did he already forget the years-long MAGA-backed recall effort against him during COVID-19?

The timing of this interview is not lost to political activists in California either. Just yesterday, Equality California, an LGBTQ lobbying group with significant influence in the state legislature, released their bill package which included almost a dozen bills focused on strengthening trans rights. These bills were a rare beacon of light in what have been some of the most difficult months in the lives of many trans Americans. And Newsom told us the next day that he wants to stamp out our light and our hope, in the most cruel and self-serving manner imaginable.

Newsom’s decision to prioritize the bigoted interests of Middle America for his presidential ambitions blatantly subverts the vibrant state democracy of California, a state which has some of the highest rates of voter participation and one of the largest LGBTQ caucuses of any state legislature. His comments imply that he will veto many if not all of the bills in this year’s trans rights bill package in order to try to build his MAGA credentials.

But Californian LGBTQ people and allies cannot and must not give in. The people of the state already flexed their power when the Children’s Hospital of LA largely reversed their decision to end gender affirming care for minors after weeks of protests outside the hospital. And they will not let Governor Newsom betray his voters and his state by standing idly by as he defames and smears our very existence.

California Democrats control supermajorities of both houses of the California Legislature. Any vetoes of essential bills that protect LGBTQ rights while Newsom is still governor can and must be overridden by the Legislature to preserve the state’s democracy and protect trans Californians.

Californian activists can ensure this happens by contacting their State Assemblymembers and Senators with strong opposition to Governor Newsom’s MAGA pivot. They should demand that California legislators commit to supporting the overturning of any bigoted vetoes on important legislation, and demand answers on how the Legislature will hold the Governor accountable for his wretched words.

Activists must also loudly mobilize against Newsom’s future political ambitions, especially if he runs for President in 2028. With the Governor of the largest “blue state” now united with the President against our community, the need for reviving ACT UP-style organizing has never been greater. LGBTQ people are a core demographic of the Democratic Party, and Newsom will have a hard time winning a majority of primary voters after publicly aligning himself so closely with MAGA on such an important issue to the Democratic base.

I expect that Governor Newsom’s public appearances will be met by loud protests and other First Amendment activities, and his office will be flooded with calls and emails demanding accountability. When pro-trans bills are debated in Sacramento, activists will flood the Capitol lawn in support of the bills and in opposition to his bigotry.

Although Gavin Newsom has not always been a perfect ally to trans people before today, none of us expected a betrayal this quickly and this severely. His actions will have political consequences, and I believe he will remember this day in embarrassment as the day he ended his political career. His new “alignment” is simply not what California–or most of this country–stands for.

—Edited by Socks Whitmore

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California residents can use the template in the below article from a community member to write or call in messages to the Governor or their state representatives. Or better yet—make your own unique message for more impact. And tell your friends to do so as well.

For readers not in California, please consider sharing this article with a friend in California to motivate them to contact their state representatives or the Governor’s office.