1. United States
2. Calif.
3. Letter

I write as a constituent to urge you to ensure strong protections for transgender people in California. The Republican Party is poised to use a Hyde Amendment-like process to cut federal funding for gender-affirming care. Without federal support, the costs of essential treatments, such as puberty blockers for youth and gender-affirming surgeries for adults, would become prohibitive for many. This approach could even fully defund hospitals that provide this care. California must brace for this by preparing legislation to fill the funding gaps this would create, and/or move gender-affirming care into non-hospital clinics to ensure continuity of care while avoiding potential loss of funding for entire hospitals. The new administration also plans to outlaw gender-affirming care for transgender youth through federal legislation. California must prepare for this by stockpiling lifesaving hormone therapy medications, as the state is doing with Mifepristone. The new administration may also defund schools and universities that allow transgender students to participate normally in school life. California must be prepared to fill these funding gaps, resist federal mandates for discrimination, and promote all-gender restrooms to circumvent potential federal bathroom regulations. California should also take measures to ensure the federal government cannot use the Real ID program to out trans people by forcing us to use incorrect gender markers on our State ID. And, critically, the state should protect access to abortion medications, hormone therapy, and puberty blockers by restricting out-of-state access to its Prescription Drug Monitoring Program data for these medications. The Legislature has a unique opportunity to pass bold, principled, life-saving legislation and set a blueprint for other states. Please, do everything you can to make this happen in Sacramento.