Please Sign These Bills To Protect Gender Equity in California

We strongly urge Governor Newsom to sign the following slate of bills to protect gender equity, generally, and the wellbeing of pregnant people, survivors of sex-based violence, and transgender people, specifically, in a moment when the rights of gender-based minority groups are under attack.   SB 418 to prohibit a health service provider from denying coverage for services based upon race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex, including sexual preference or gender identity, intersex traits, and pregnancy.   SB 771 to clarify existing law to ensure that social media companies are held accountable for amplifying content that incites attacks or violent behavior against a specific community.   AB 621 to expands existing protections for people who do not consent to the posting of sexually explicit material.   AB 432 to require that specified physicians who have a patient population composed of 25% or more of adult women under 65 years of age to complete a minimum percentage of continuing medical education hours in perimenopause, menopause, and postmenopausal care.   AB 772 to require the State Dept. of Education to develop, post on its internet website, and distribute to each local educational agency, a model policy on how to address certain acts of bullying, cyberbullying, harassment, sexual harassment, or intimidation occurring outside of school hours and outside of the campus.   AB 1487 to rename an existing fund as the Two-Spirit, Transgender, Gender Nonconforming, and Intersex (2TGI) Wellness and Equity Fund and expand the availability of grant funds to 2TGI-serving organizations to provide workforce development training for 2TGI individuals, resettlement and social integration programs for 2TGI asylees and immigrants, and diversion programs for 2TGI youth.   SB 626 to require licensed health care practitioners who provide perinatal care to screen, diagnose, and treat patients for a maternal mental health conditions.   AND SB 258 to close a loophole in the California Penal Code that permits the rape of a spouse who is unable to consent due to a severe disability. This is the last remaining spousal rape loophole.