Governors Briefs: New Legislation Supports LGBTQ+ Californians and Cracks Down on Sex Trafficking

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Gov. Newsom Signs Legislation Supporting LGBTQ+ Californians

SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom Sept. 23 signed legislation strengthening protections and supports for LGBTQ+ Californians, including measures to better support vulnerable youth.

The measures include AB 5 by Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur (D-Los Angeles), which sets implementation timelines for required LGBTQ+ cultural competency training by public school teachers and staff. The Governor also signed SB 857 by Senator John Laird (D-Santa Cruz), which will establish an advisory task force to identify LGBTQ+ pupil needs statewide and assist in implementing supportive initiatives, and AB 223 by Assemblymember Christopher Ward (D-San Diego), which requires any petition for a change of gender and sex identifier by a minor to be kept confidential by the court.

 

New California Law Cracks Down on Sex Trafficking of Minors

SACRAMENTO Gov. Gavin Newsom, joined by First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom, State Senator Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield), State Senator Anna Caballero (D-Merced) and survivors and advocates, Sept. 25 signed SB 14 (Grove) into law to steepen penalties for human trafficking of minors in California. The law designates human trafficking of a minor for purposes of a commercial sex act as a serious felony — including under the state’s “Three Strikes” law — and imposes harsher penalties and sentencing enhancements for individuals convicted of the crime.

“The trafficking of young women and girls is a heinous crime with far too many victims,” said First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom. “I’ve seen the pain survivors carry for a lifetime and having recently visited the infamous Figueroa sex trafficking corridor, I’ve witnessed the devastating impacts of these crimes — not just on girls and young women — but on entire communities when trafficking persists. That’s why I am especially grateful to Senator Grove for her assiduousness in combating human trafficking and helping ensure California is a safer place for women and children.”

Human sex trafficking is a heinous crime that can have numerous long-lasting, harmful impacts on victims, survivors, and their families. SB 14, which passed the state Assembly and Senate unanimously, is a bipartisan measure co-authored by 64 members of the Legislature. The legislation is supported by over a hundred local, national and international organizations, including a coalition of human trafficking survivors and advocates.