Gavin Newsom criticizes Trump and RFK Jr. for reducing suicide hotline funding
The California Democrat advocates for the inclusion of an LGBTQ hotline on school IDs.
TroibNews 
SACRAMENTO, California — On Friday, California Governor Gavin Newsom expressed his support for a proposed law that would feature the number for an LGBTQ crisis line on the back of every public middle and high school student ID card. This initiative comes as the Trump administration reduces funding for similar programs nationwide.
This latest action, highlighted here for the first time, places Newsom at odds with Washington, particularly following California's recent legal move to become the first state to sue Trump over tariffs. The state also initiated another lawsuit challenging the administration's cuts to AmeriCorps via the Department of Government Efficiency.
Newsom's backing for the bill stems from alarming reports that Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. intends to decrease funding for the nonprofit network that provides LGBTQ-specific counseling through the national 988 suicide hotline for youth.
“Suicide is the second leading cause of death among LGBTQ youth. Cutting off kids' access to help is indefensible,” Newsom stated in a message shared exclusively with PMG. “While the Trump administration walks away from its responsibility, California will continue to expand access to life-saving resources, because the life of every child — straight, gay, trans — is worth fighting for.”
The proposed California bill, AB 727, introduced by first-term Assemblymember Mark González from Los Angeles, would ensure that the Trevor Project's crisis and suicide prevention hotline number is included on student ID cards.
The Trevor Project faces funding cuts under Trump's budget plan, and the bill has drawn criticism from social conservatives in the state, like the California Family Council, who argue it “undermines families” and creates a “playground for predators.”
During the bill's initial hearing in early April, Republican Assemblymember Josh Hoover raised concerns about the necessity of including an LGBTQ-specific hotline number on student IDs, especially since a 2018 law already mandates the general 988 hotline number on all IDs.
“My concern has nothing to do with the ability to call a hotline, obviously, that is something that I support,” Hoover commented. “But if you go right now to the Trevor Project website, there are a number of resources provided that are very political in nature. There is access to a number of things that I would argue a lot of parents would be uncomfortable with.”
Alejandro Jose Martinez for TROIB News
This latest action, highlighted here for the first time, places Newsom at odds with Washington, particularly following California's recent legal move to become the first state to sue Trump over tariffs. The state also initiated another lawsuit challenging the administration's cuts to AmeriCorps via the Department of Government Efficiency.
Newsom's backing for the bill stems from alarming reports that Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. intends to decrease funding for the nonprofit network that provides LGBTQ-specific counseling through the national 988 suicide hotline for youth.
“Suicide is the second leading cause of death among LGBTQ youth. Cutting off kids' access to help is indefensible,” Newsom stated in a message shared exclusively with PMG. “While the Trump administration walks away from its responsibility, California will continue to expand access to life-saving resources, because the life of every child — straight, gay, trans — is worth fighting for.”
The proposed California bill, AB 727, introduced by first-term Assemblymember Mark González from Los Angeles, would ensure that the Trevor Project's crisis and suicide prevention hotline number is included on student ID cards.
The Trevor Project faces funding cuts under Trump's budget plan, and the bill has drawn criticism from social conservatives in the state, like the California Family Council, who argue it “undermines families” and creates a “playground for predators.”
During the bill's initial hearing in early April, Republican Assemblymember Josh Hoover raised concerns about the necessity of including an LGBTQ-specific hotline number on student IDs, especially since a 2018 law already mandates the general 988 hotline number on all IDs.
“My concern has nothing to do with the ability to call a hotline, obviously, that is something that I support,” Hoover commented. “But if you go right now to the Trevor Project website, there are a number of resources provided that are very political in nature. There is access to a number of things that I would argue a lot of parents would be uncomfortable with.”
Alejandro Jose Martinez for TROIB News
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