Governor Gavin Newsom signed a six-bill legislative package strengthening privacy protections and expanding resources for the LGBTQ community, according to an announcement from his office. Newsom said the legislation responds to what he described as recent federal attacks on LGBTQ individuals.
The bills include stricter privacy protections limiting how sexual orientation, gender identity, and intersex data can be shared. Healthcare providers and institutions will be required to notify the California Attorney General when they receive subpoenas regarding protected healthcare activity, allowing the attorney general to intervene.
The legislation provides housing, employment, and transition-to-civilian-life support for servicemembers discharged as a result of President Trump's ban on transgender servicemembers. In 2022, Newsom had signed a separate law helping LGBTQ veterans discharged under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" update their records and access benefits.
The legislation updates California's longstanding ban on conversion therapy, responding to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down a similar state ban. The bills also ensure LGBTQ resources are available at satellite campuses of public higher education institutions and expand access to HIV prevention medications including PrEP and PEP.
The state appropriated $66 million in its 2026-27 budget to support access to healthcare for patients without coverage or who have lost coverage for abortion or gender-affirming care, including $30 million for an uncompensated care program and $10 million for gender-affirming care services for children and youth.