LGBTQ+ advocates are sharply criticizing Governor Gavin Newsom’s administration following the abrupt elimination of over $17 million in dedicated health equity funding for LGBTQ+ women, transgender men, and non-binary individuals, a move they say threatens access to vital care for some of California’s most underserved communities.
Joe Hollendoner, CEO of the Los Angeles LGBT Center, issued a strong statement denouncing the decision, calling it “a betrayal of queer and trans Californians.”
He added, “We call on the Governor and the State legislature to reverse this harmful decision by honoring the promise made by the legislature in 2019 and renewing this critical funding for next year.”
The cuts affect the LGBTQ Health Equity Fund, a state initiative established in 2019 to address long-documented health disparities in this population. According to Hollendoner, the California Department of Public Health convened an emergency meeting with grant recipients on May 10, informing them that all contracts would be terminated six months early, and that the Office of Health Equity, a division created to serve marginalized gender identities, would be shuttered entirely.
The result, advocates say, will be the discontinuation of services by June 30, leaving patients without access to care designed specifically to meet their needs.
“This is not a simple budget correction,” said Hollendoner. “It is a moral failure that strips life-affirming care from communities already burdened by systemic neglect.”
The Los Angeles LGBT Center had received $1.9 million in 2022 from the fund, in partnership with five organizations, to expand its Audre Lorde Health Program, which provides trauma-informed, gender-inclusive care to LGBTQ individuals. The program has since grown in staffing and services, and has helped rebuild trust among communities often excluded from traditional healthcare.
Hollendoner warned that eliminating this funding would not only halt that progress but also unravel relationships painstakingly rebuilt after years of medical mistrust and marginalization.
The governor’s proposed budget cuts also include a pause in enrollment for undocumented adults in state-funded healthcare programs—another blow to communities navigating intersecting barriers such as racism, transphobia, xenophobia, and poverty.
“Balancing the budget on the backs of vulnerable queer communities is indefensible,” Hollendoner said. “In cutting this funding, Governor Newsom has chosen to sacrifice the health and dignity of those already navigating intersecting barriers of misogyny, racism, transphobia, and xenophobia—including undocumented LGBTQ+ people. These cuts, along with the pausing of enrollment for adult undocumented Californians, are a clear attack on our healthcare system and the people who depend on it.”
Some of Silicon Valley’s ultrawealthy have been in a financial frenzy in recent weeks over how to protect their assets from a proposed California ballot measure that would tax their billions. Now comes the next, more muscular phase: trying to beat the proposal, which supporters are trying to place on the ballot in November.
The first seven-figure political donation that can be used to defeat the so-called billionaires tax became public on Friday: Peter Thiel, the venture capitalist and chairman of Palantir, donated $3 million to a committee opposing the proposed initiative, according to a new disclosure.
The contribution, made on Dec. 29, went to Californians Against Higher Taxes, a committee run by a state business lobby, the California Business Roundtable. It is expected to be the first of several major contributions in 2026 from Silicon Valley leaders.
U.S. Rep. Doug LaMalfa, a Republican lawmaker representing California, whose career included his opposition to marriage equality and transgender rights, died suddenly this week at 65, according to the House GOP. His death further narrows an already fragile Republican majority in the U.S. House and removes a central figure in the party’s escalating campaign against trans rights.
“House Republicans mourn the loss of Congressman Doug LaMalfa,” the party wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “He proudly represented California’s 1st Congressional District from 2013 to 2026, serving as Chairman of the Congressional Western Caucus.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson, the Louisiana Republican, wrote in a statement that “Congress is devastated to learn this morning about the passing of our dear friend and colleague.”
According to Sacramento ABC affiliate KXTV, LaMalfa died during emergency surgery on Monday at Enloe Hospital after an ambulance transported him following a medical emergency at his home.
LaMalfa, a fourth-generation rice farmer, represented his largely rural district for seven terms in Congress. While he was long regarded as an authority on water, forestry, and agricultural policy, he also focused his legislative attacks on transgender people—particularly trans youth.
Over the past decade, LaMalfa became a vocal supporter of efforts to roll back LGBTQ+ equality in California and nationally. The Sacramento Bee editorial board documented his support for ballot measures that sought to ban marriage equality and later criticized his public comments opposing protections for transgender students, language local advocates described as transphobic and harmful to vulnerable youth.
In Congress, LaMalfa repeatedly introduced and promoted bills aimed at restricting access to gender-affirming medical care for minors, including the Protecting Children from Experimentation Act. In press statements published by his congressional office, LaMalfa characterized such care as “medical experimentation,” a framing that major medical organizations and LGBTQ+ health experts have rejected as false and stigmatizing.
LaMalfa was one of the lawmakers who helped drive the broader surge in anti-trans legislation nationwide, part of a political strategy that civil rights groups warn has intensified harassment, discrimination, and health risks for transgender Americans.
“I join people across Northern California in mourning the untimely passing of Congressman Doug LaMalfa,” Jeffries wrote. “Doug and I joined the Congress as classmates in 2013, and it was an honor to witness firsthand his passion and personal resolve for more than a decade.”
House GOP leaders praised LaMalfa as a devoted public servant and family man. His death leaves Republicans with a 218–213 majority and is expected to trigger a high-stakes special election.
Equality California, the nation’s largest statewide LGBTQ+ civil rights organization, released the following statement from Executive Director Tony Hoang in response to a federal court ruling in Mirabelli v. Olson, which blocked enforcement of multiple California laws that protect transgender and gender-nonconforming students from forced outing at school and allow educators to respect a student’s name and pronouns. The state has asked to pause the ruling pending appeal.
“Parents should be involved in their children’s lives, and in the vast majority of cases, parents and families are directly involved in conversations about sexual orientation and gender identity. That is why we passed the SAFETY Act last year — specifically so these important family conversations can happen when families are ready and in ways that strengthen the relationship between parent and child, not as a result of extremist politicians intruding into the parent-child relationship. California’s student protections recognize the importance of family involvement, while also acknowledging that forcing a student to come out before they are ready can cause harm.
Judge Benitez’s dangerous ruling goes far beyond the SAFETY Act and broadly targets numerous California laws and protections for transgender and gender-nonconforming students — attempting to invalidate critical safeguards that prevent forced outing and allow educators to respect a student’s affirmed name and pronouns at school. These protections exist for one reason: to keep students safe and ensure schools remain places where young people can learn and thrive without fear.
This ruling comes at a time when transgender and gender-nonconforming youth across the country are facing a coordinated effort to undermine their safety and well-being. We are grateful to Attorney General Bonta for moving quickly to prevent the harmful consequences of this decision from taking hold. Equality California will continue working with parents, educators, and advocates to keep schools safe, welcoming, and focused on the success and well-being of every student.”
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Equality California is the nation’s largest statewide LGBTQ civil rights organization. We bring the voices of LGBTQ people and allies to institutions of power in California and across the United States, striving to create a world that is healthy, just, and fully equal for all LGBTQ people. We advance civil rights and social justice by inspiring, advocating and mobilizing through an inclusive movement that works tirelessly on behalf of those we serve. www.eqca.org
San Francisco is an aging city. According to the California Department of Finance, by 2030, nearly one-third of the city will be populated by people 60 and older. That’s more than the state average. The lack of housing continues to be an issue. One group in particular faces challenges when it comes to affordable housing.
But in just a few years, a drenched empty lot on Market Street will be transformed into a 15-story residential building for seniors in San Francisco.
“As folks age, incomes become restricted, the cost of living rises and so the need for affordable housing becomes even greater,” explained Dani Soto, Deputy Director of Openhouse, a nonprofit serving LGBTQ+ seniors.
Because San Francisco looks after its LGBTQ+ people, the building will be marketed primarily to that community and to some veterans.
Mercy Housing will develop the property offering 187 studios and one-bedroom apartments with funding coming from the state and the city–all affordable housing.
“For seniors age 62 plus, and the income will be restricted for very low income to extremely low income, so that means that folks can be making approximately $16,000 up to $92,000 a year,” outlined Sean Wils, Senior Project Manager of Mercy Housing.
Across the street, the building at 1939 Market Street will offer services and programs run by Openhouse in San Francisco.
The architect Paulett Taggart highlighted the importance of its location.
“The building is located here at the corner of Duboce and Market and obviously one of the reasons for this location is that it is located near a lot of the other LGBTQ facilities including the other one run by Openhouse, who are the service providers here just up Laguna Street,” said Taggart.
According to one of the architects, the new building was designed with open spaces in mind to invite seniors to engage with one another.
“Seniors have an increase sense of isolation especially if they are no longer working, they have family and friends who are starting to pass away and so intentionally designing spaces that can help them make connection with their neighbors,” said Roselie Enriquez Ledda,
Julie Strobel works with LGBTQ+ seniors at OpenHouse.
“One of the things that we really work against is the prevention of isolation that we have or that we experience in our community. We also have support groups, a men’s support group, a woman’s support group. We have groups for long-term survivors of HIV,” said Strobel, who is a volunteer engagement specialist.
The design has rainbow colors on both sides of the building, it’s what the community wanted to broadcast to the rest of the city that, “We are here.”
When Sutter Health told its patients in late November that it would no longer be providing gender-affirming care services for those 19 and under, their families began organizing.
The largest hospital system in Northern California didn’t announce the policy change publicly, but quietly informed those receiving the care — right around Transgender Day of Remembrance — that the treatment would stop as of December 10. While it put a damper on their Thanksgiving holidays, the families of the affected transgender youth weren’t going to take it lying down.
Rainbow Families Action, a collective of families in the Bay Area who have trans children, put out a call to its members and local organizations to join them for a rally outside a Sutter facility on December 8. Less than a week later, Sutter Health has reportedly reversed its decision, and rescheduled the appointments that were canceled.
“Something amazing happened last week,” RFA wrote in a post on Instagram. “We and our partners organized and rallied when we heard Sutter Health was going to be shutting down GAC for minors on December 10. After weeks of email campaigns, media campaigns, letters, and a rally, Sutter Health did the right thing and reversed their decision. Our families still have care!”
Not only is it legal for minors to receive gender-affirming care in California, but the state became a sanctuary for the treatment following Gov. Gavin Newsom‘s signing of SB 107 in 2022. The law prohibits states that have banned the life-saving care from punishing those who travel to California to receive it through preventing the release of information or the arrest and extradition of someone based on another state’s court orders.
“Thanks to all of you in the video who showed up and who did all the things,” RFA continued in its post. “In a dark time, we will look occasionally celebrate the light we make together. When we fight we win.”
A Sacramento man’s family and the local LGBTQ+ community are still fighting for justice six weeks after he was rendered comatose during an attack that’s been designated as an anti-LGBTQ+ hate crime.
Alvin Prasad, 57, was leaving an LGBTQ+ club with his daughter and a friend on Halloween night when a man began shouting at them from his car. Prasad’s daughter, Andrea, told ABC10 at the time that the man insulted her father’s flamboyant costume “in a very rude, aggressive way,” and when Prasad turned around to ask why he spoke to them like that, the man allegedly punched him.
The punch was directly to Prasad’s forehead, which caused him to fall back and hit his head again on the concrete sidewalk. Prasad has been in a coma since with permanent damage on both sides of his brain.
“He’ll never be the same,” Andrea said. “He can’t express himself, can’t go out dancing. It’s just … it’s not the same.”
Sean Wesley Payton Jr., 24, was arrested and booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail on November 17 on charges related to assault, hate crime, and resisting arrest. He pleaded not guilty on Tuesday, FOX40 reported, and will remain in custody until his proceedings on January 30, as he is ineligible for bail.
The same night, the Sacramento LGBT Community Center held a community conversation forum on safety in the Lavender Heights neighborhood, with guest speakers CEO David Heitstuma, city council member Phil Pluckebaum, and a Sacramento Police Department LGBTQ Liaison officer. Heitstuma called the attack on Prasad “incredibly tragic,” likening it to the national epidemics of mass shootings and rising anti-LGBTQ+ hate crimes.
“It’s just a reminder that we have a lot of work to do to ensure that there is greater cultural affirmation, acceptance and a sense of welcomeness in our world,” Heitstuma said, via The Sacramento Bee.
Doug Marques, 71, a friend of Prasad, said at the forum that another friend of his has been assaulted since the attack on Prasad. He emphasized that “We are people just like everybody else.”
“We do not deserve to be treated that way,” Marques said. “We do not need to be harassed because of who we are.”
Thursday, December 11 | 6:00pm GLBT Historical Society Musuem
Over a century ago, Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld — the “Einstein of Sex” — revolutionized how we understand gender and sexuality. Nearly 100 years after the Nazis burned his books and destroyed his institute, his vision of fluid, expansive identity remains powerfully relevant.
Join the GLBT Historical Society for an Author Talk & Book Signing with journalist Daniel Brook, inconversation with historian and Society founding member Gerard Koskovich. Brook will share new insights from Hirschfeld’s 1931 Bay Area visit, including his tour of San Quentin and his advocacy for Black transgender inmates targeted by discriminatory laws.
On November 6, former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi announced that she would be retiring after 38 years serving as the representative for the district that encompasses San Francisco.
Since she was first elected in 1987, Pelosi has been one of the most consistent voices in support of LGBTQ rights, speaking out about the AIDS crisis and marching for gay rights during a period of heightened stigma and supporting gay marriage long before the majority of her party. In recent years, as increasing numbers of Democrats have stepped back or flipped their stances on trans rights, Pelosi has remained firm, pushing for the party to hold the line against anti-LGBTQ policies and pledging to fight gender-affirming care bans.
As Pelosi gets set to retire in January 2027, we took a look back through her LGBTQ advocacy.
Congressperson (1987 – 2002)
June 2, 1987
Pelosi is elected to Congress in a special election. In her primary, she defeats Harry Britt, a city supervisor for San Francisco and a gay activist.
June 9, 1987
Pelosi mentions the AIDS crisis in her first speech on the House floor. “We’re very proud of the Fifth Congressional District and its leadership for peace, for environmental protection, for equal rights, for rights of individual freedom. And now we must take the leadership of course in the crisis of AIDS, and I look forward to working with you on that,” she says.
Oct. 11, 1987
Pelosi at the Second National March on Washington. Photo by Nancy Pelosi.
Pelosi helps secure permits to display the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. She sews her own patch for Susan “Susie” Piracci Roggio, the flower girl in her wedding who died of AIDSat age 30.
That same day, Pelosi marches in the Second National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights. The march calls for legal recognition of same-sex relationships, for more HIV/AIDS funding from the federal government and for the repeal of laws that make sodomy illegal.
March 1, 1989
Pelosi cosponsors the Housing and Community Development Act of 1990, which created the Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) program. HOPWA gives grant funding to communities, states and nonprofits for projects that benefit low-income people living with HIV/AIDS. Pelosi has supported subsequent funding of HOPWA in the 35 years since its passage.
March 6, 1990
Pelosi (left) and Elizabeth Taylor (right) testify before a congressional committee. Photo by Nancy Pelosi.
Pelosi testifies for HIV/AIDS funding with actor and philanthropist Elizabeth Taylor in front of the Committee on the Budget’s Task Force on Human Resources. “We have striven for what is best for the patient and what is best for the budget and frequently they are the same,” she tells the committee.
Pelosi votes against the National Institutes of Health Revitalization Act of 1993, which codified a travel ban for immigrants and foreign nationals living with HIV/AIDS.
Sept. 29, 1993
Pelosi votes in favor of the 1994 Defense Authorization Act, which codified the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) military policy created under the Clinton Administration that forced gay members of the military to remain in the closet while serving. The law reads:
“The prohibition against homosexual conduct is a longstanding element of military law that continues to be necessary in the unique circumstances of military service. … The presence in the armed forces of persons who demonstrate a propensity or intent to engage in homosexual acts would create an unacceptable risk to the high standards of morale, good order and discipline, and unit cohesion that are the essence of military capability.”
Pelosi votes for the bill despite opposing DADT and later speaks in favor of its repeal on the House floor, calling on Clinton “to act definitively to lift the ban that keeps patriotic Americans from serving in the U.S. Armed Forces because of their sexual orientation.” She goes on to say that “‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ doesn’t contribute to our national security and it contravenes our American values.”
July 12, 1996
Pelosi votes against the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which established marriage “as only a legal union between one man and one woman.” She votes in the minority of Democrats, with 118 voting in favor and 65 voting against.
Pelosi votes against a proposed constitutional amendment that would have restricted marriage to be between one man and one woman. She would vote against the same amendment again in 2006.
Speaker of the House (2007-2011)
Sept. 28, 2007
Pelosi releases a statement endorsing a version of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) which had been controversially amended to include discrimination protections for sexual orientation but not gender identity. “While I personally favor legislation that would include gender identity, the new ENDA legislation … has the best prospects for success on the House floor. I will continue to push for legislation, including language on gender identity, to expand and make our laws more reflective of the diverse society in which we live.”
Pelosi’s support for the amended version attracts criticism, with nearly 300 LGBTQ rights organizations signing a letter to her opposing the move. No version of the bill makes it to the Senate floor.
May 15, 2008
Pelosi releases a statement supporting the California Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the state’s gay marriage ban. In reference to Proposition 8, she writes that she opposes “any ballot measure that would write discrimination into the State Constitution.”
Oct. 28, 2009
President Obama signs the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which was developed in response to the murders of two gay men, into law. Pelosi strongly supports the bill, and Obama calls her “a champion of this legislation.”
Oct. 30, 2009
Under Pelosi’s leadership as speaker of the House, HIV is removed from the list of communicable diseases that prevent foreign nationals from entering the U.S.
“With the end of the HIV/AIDS travel ban, the United States will close the door on an era of intolerance. This discriminatory policy has done nothing to protect public health, and it is inconsistent with the values that have made our nation great,” Pelosi writes in a press release.
March 21, 2010
Under Pelosi’s speakership, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) passes the House by a slim margin. The ACA helps fill significant gaps in health care coverage for LGBTQ Americans.
Dec. 22, 2010
Retired Navy Cmdr. Zoe Dunning, Pelosi and former Navy Petty Officer Joseph Rocha celebrate the repeal of DADT. Photo by Nancy Pelosi.
“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is formally repealed with Pelosi serving as a key figurein pushing for the repeal. “Repealing the discriminatory ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy will honor the service and sacrifice of all who dedicated their lives to protecting the American people. … I urge my colleagues to end discrimination wherever it exists in our country,” Pelosi says on the House floor right before the policy was repealed.
Democratic Party House Leader (2011-2019)
June 24, 2014
Pelosi receives a Congressional Global Champion Award from the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF) for her work. “Leader Pelosi has been a friend and partner of the … Foundation from its earliest days,” writes Chip Lyons, president and CEO of EGPAF. “Here in the capital of the United States, the Ryan White Care Act was passed in 1991, with the solid support of Leader Pelosi. It was a watershed moment in the fight against AIDS.”
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Oct. 17, 2014
Pelosi endorses openly transgender military service members. A spokesperson for her office says, “Leader Pelosi believes there is no place for discrimination in the U.S. Armed Forces, including on the basis of gender identity.”
June 26, 2015
The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) rules in favor of Obergefell v. Hodges, legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide. Pelosi’s office issues a press release in support of the ruling:
“This decision is about creating a future where loving, committed families are able to live with dignity. This is about freedom. This is about love. … This decision is a declaration of our deepest held values and our hope for a better America. … We must continue the fight for the full protections that are long overdue for LGBT Americans.”
July 13, 2017
Pelosi and her party help defeat an amendment to the defense authorization bill that would have banned coverage of gender affirming care for transgender troops.
July 26, 2017
In response to Trump’s first attempted ban on transgender people serving in the military, Pelosi speaks at a press conference:
“It is a cruel and arbitrary decision designed to humiliate transgender Americans who have stepped forward to serve and defend our country. The President’s allegations of tremendous – tremendous – medical cost are bold-faced lies: a ludicrous pretense for his hateful campaign against these brave men and women in uniform and those who have become veterans.”
The Consulate General of Irelandand the Rainbow Honor Walk (www.rainbowhonorwalk.org) will commemorate the life and legacy of Roger Casement — Irish patriot, humanitarian, and LGBTQ+ trailblazer — with a bronze plaque installed on San Francisco’s world famous “Gay Main Street.” The plaque will be unveiled at 4pm on Tuesday, October 28, in the Bank of America Plaza at 501 Castro Street, joining 44 other permanent tributes to notable LGBTQ+ individuals who have shaped world history and culture.
“We are gratified to work with the Rainbow Honor Walk and the United Irish Societies to celebrate the life of Roger Casement, an Irish patriot and peerless human rights campaigner,” said Micheál Smith, Consul General of Ireland to the Western United States. “He stood up for the oppressed across continents and ultimately for the freedom of his own country. He was a gay man, whose truth when spoken in his lifetime was used against him. His memory today reminds us that the cause of equality and human dignity is universal and enduring”.
The ceremony will feature remarks from Neale Richmond, TD, Ireland’s Minister of State for International Development and Diaspora, Consul General Smith and members of the Rainbow Honor Walk Board. Representatives from Tourism Ireland, the United Irish Societies and community leaders will also attend.
“Never has it been more important than now to celebrate our LGBTQ heroes and heroines,” said Donna Sachet, President of the all-volunteer nonprofit Rainbow Honor Walk. “We are so honored and gratified that the Irish Consulate here in San Francisco is helping us lift up one such hero, Roger Casement.”
“The support we’ve received from the entire Irish and Irish American community has been extraordinary,” said Charlotte Ruffner, Vice President, Rainbow Honor Walk, noting the contributions of local Irish contractors to the effort. “Joe Whyte of LVI Engineering, and Mark Gorman of Gorman Pipeline, Inc., — Grand Marshal of San Francisco’s 2025 St. Patrick’s Day Parade — have each donated their professional installation services. We couldn’t have done it without them.”
“The United Irish Societies of San Francisco are thrilled to have taken part in this Casement plaque installation- it is truly an honor to help commemorate such an important figure,” said Hilda Kissane, President, United Irish Societies. “ I am looking forward to seeing the plaque in place, and feel immense pride and excitement for how it will inspire others.”
Founder of the Rainbow Honor Walk, David Eugene Perry, also expressed his gratitude.
“30 years ago, my idea for paying tribute to our LGBTQ history has now, literally, spread across the ocean,” said Perry, who along with his husband, Alfredo Casuso, helped initiate the “Rainbow Cities” exchange between Cork, Ireland and San Francisco. “I couldn’t be prouder that the rainbow torch has now been passed to a new generation of Honor Walk leadership.”
About Roger Casement (1864–1916): A diplomat turned activist, Roger Casement remains one of Ireland’s most complex and inspiring historical figures — a man of profound moral conviction and compassion. After joining the British Foreign Ministry in 1901 and serving as Consul at Boma in the Congo, Casement investigated and exposed human rights abuses under King Leopold II’s brutal regime. His groundbreaking “Casement Report” (1904) helped end a 23-year reign of terror in the so-called “Congo Free State,” forcing international reform.
Casement later turned his moral courage toward his homeland, becoming a fervent supporter of Irish independence. Arrested for his role in the Easter Rising of 1916, he was executed in London that same year. Only decades later did the world begin to acknowledge the injustice done to him — not only as a revolutionary, but as a gay man persecuted for his truth and identity.
About the Rainbow Honor Walk: The Rainbow Honor Walk is a nonprofit organization that celebrates LGBTQ+ pioneers and trailblazers with bronze sidewalk plaques in San Francisco’s Castro District. Each plaque honors a historic figure who made a significant impact on history, culture, and civil rights. For more information, visit www.rainbowhonorwalk.org.
