1. United States
2. Calif.
3. Letter

As a transgender Californian I am angry and disheartened that Gavin Newsom would not only invite a right winger like Charlie Kirk onto his podcast but use that invitation to actively harm trans people. Every single Democrat in the house voted AGAINST a federal ban for trans athletes for a reason. There are less than 100 trans pro athletes in the entire country. Trans women are not men. They are women trying to live their lives. All trans people are at enormous risk for violence, especially now. This is especially true for trans women of colour. This action just paints an even bigger target on all of us. What the federal government is doing is enacting genocide against the trans population. This is not hyperbole. The Lemkin Institute spoke about genocidal attacks on trans people in 2022 and it has gotten markedly worse under this administration. Our legislators should be standing up for up. Protecting us. I no longer feel safe in California and it is the state government's silence, refusal to openly speak out against attacks on us, and now this enthusiastic agreement to demonise us that have contributed to this feeling. I want you to immediately speak out against Newsom's harmful words against us. I want to see action to protect trans Californians, to ensure we have healthcare access and safety in all aspects of life. We should not have to flee our homes in fear. Help us.