{"id":47067,"date":"2026-03-06T12:06:25","date_gmt":"2026-03-06T20:06:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/?p=47067"},"modified":"2026-03-06T12:06:26","modified_gmt":"2026-03-06T20:06:26","slug":"ca-dem-gov-candidates-discuss-lgbtq-issues-at-la-forum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2026\/03\/06\/ca-dem-gov-candidates-discuss-lgbtq-issues-at-la-forum\/","title":{"rendered":"CA Dem gov candidates discuss LGBTQ issues at LA forum"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<ul>\n<li>by&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ebar.com\/search?author=1&amp;searchBox=Cynthia+Laird&amp;advancedSearch=1&amp;submit=search&amp;search_for=exact+phrase\">Cynthia Laird<\/a>, News Editor&nbsp;<a href=\"mailto: c.laird@ebar.com\"><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Tuesday, March 3, 2026 (ebar.com)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ebar.com\/image\/stories\/11510\" alt=\"\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Democratic gubernatorial candidates Xavier Becerra, left, Betty Yee, and Katie Porter took part in a forum at the Los Angeles LGBT Center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Photos: Screengrabs via KNBC-TV<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Seven Democratic candidates seeking to succeed California Governor Gavin Newsom said that they stood with the LGBTQ community during a forum Monday evening. One, however, was sharply critical of the state\u2019s chief executive for recent comments he made suggesting Democrats be more \u201cculturally normal.\u201d<br>&nbsp;<br>The candidates, all straight allies, appeared separately at \u201cCentering Equality: California\u2019s LGBTQ+ Gubernatorial Forum\u201d co-hosted by statewide LGBTQ rights group Equality California and the Los Angeles LGBT center. It was held Monday, March 2, at the center.<br>&nbsp;<br>Moderators Colleen Williams of KNBC-TV and Dustin Gardner of Politico said at the outset that all the major candidates had been invited. Two Democratic candidates, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan and former state lawmaker Ian Calderon, as well as Republicans Steve Hilton, a former Fox News host, and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco did not appear.<br>&nbsp;<br>Candidate Tony Thurmond pushed back against the question about Newsom\u2019s desire to see fellow Democrats change the way they talk about LGBTQs. During a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.advocate.com\/politics\/national\/gavin-newsom-pronouns\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">recent interview<\/a>&nbsp;on CNN, Newsom called for his party to be \u201cculturally normal,\u201d and specifically to stop \u201cspending a disproportionate amount of time on pronouns [and] identity politics.\u201d<br>&nbsp;<br>\u201cThe governor is flat-out wrong,\u201d said Thurmond, currently the elected state superintendent of public instruction. \u201cWe don\u2019t need to placate the conservative right.\u201d<br>&nbsp;<br>Thurmond added that while he agrees with Newsom on a lot of things, LGBTQ people should \u201cjust go ahead and be who you are.\u201d<br>&nbsp;<br>In response to the same question, candidate Katie Porter said, \u201cI don\u2019t think any leader gets to sit in judgment.\u201d Porter previously represented Orange County in Congress and ran unsuccessfully for U.S. Senate in 2024.<br>&nbsp;<br>Betty Yee, the former elected state controller, also had critical words on the topic. \u201cI think there\u2019s a little bit of scapegoating these people,\u201d she said, referring to LGBTQs.<br><br>Gardner and Williams generally asked each candidate the same questions, but time constraints prevented them from asking all of them about Newsom\u2019s suggestion Democrats \u201cpivot\u201d in how they talk about the queer community.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Read the rest of this story below<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>and never miss another!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sign up today&nbsp;to receive trusted LGBTQ news in your inbox.Please select the newsletters you&#8217;d like to subscribe to:Bay Area Reporter newsletterNews is Out weekly newsletterBay Area Reporter health newsletterSubmit<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ebar.com\/image\/stories\/11511\" alt=\"\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Candidates Tom Steyer, left, and Congressmember Eric Swalwell answered questions at a forum. &nbsp;&nbsp; Photos: Screengrabs via KNBC-TV<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Trans issues<\/strong><br>On issues affecting the transgender community, all of the candidates spoke in support. Tom Steyer, a billionaire who\u2019s self-funding his campaign, was the clearest on the matter of trans girls and women playing on female sports teams, a contentious issue in California and across the country. Several states have passed bans on trans athletes, while California attempted a compromise last year regarding high school sports. Meanwhile, the Trump administration has launched investigations into some colleges who had trans women on their sports teams.<br>&nbsp;<br>Steyer, who said he has played sports \u201cmy entire life,\u201d said, \u201cI strongly feel trans people should participate in sports.\u201d<br>&nbsp;<br>\u201cI come back to how vulnerable and stressed trans youth feel,\u201d Steyer said. \u201cSports is some form of community.\u201d<br>&nbsp;<br>Xavier Becerra, who served in Congress, as California\u2019s attorney general, and as health and human services secretary in the Biden administration, said he has long fought against discrimination.<br>&nbsp;<br>\u201cI\u2019ll protect it the way I did when I was attorney general,\u201d he said of issues such as trans people participating in sports. \u201cHealth care and education are not the prerogative of the federal government. The Constitution left health care, education, and public safety to the states. Obviously, there are some constraints if you take federal money, [such as] Medicare. I know the law.\u201d<br>&nbsp;<br>Porter said that she\u2019s had conversations with health care companies and parents over providing gender-affirming care to trans youth.<br>&nbsp;<br>\u201cWe need to provide state funding for this,\u201d she said, pegging the cost at about $26 million. \u201cThat is a number that is out there that we can find.\u201d<br>&nbsp;<br>Congressmember Eric Swalwell (D-Dublin), advocated a \u201chuman approach\u201d to issues affecting trans people.<br>&nbsp;<br>\u201cLife is already hard for a trans kid,\u201d he said.<br>&nbsp;<br>He was critical of President Donald Trump and his efforts to roll back rights for trans Americans.<br>&nbsp;<br>\u201cThis president has declared war on kids,\u201d Swalwell said, with bans against gender-affirming care that many hospitals in California and elsewhere have implemented due to the Trump administration\u2019s threat to withhold federal funds. \u201cWe need a fighter and protector in Sacramento.\u201d<br><br>Candidate Antonio Villaraigosa, a former state Assembly speaker and mayor of Los Angeles, said that he has been an ally to the LGBTQ community for decades.<br>&nbsp;<br>\u201cI started at the beginning,\u201d he said, rattling off support for early legislation providing rights to LGBTQ Californians. He also said that as mayor, he removed trans women prisoners from the men\u2019s jail.<br>&nbsp;<br>\u201cI continue to be at the forefront,\u201d Villaraigosa said.<br>&nbsp;<br>As for the threat of the state losing federal dollars, Villaraigosa said the way to combat that would be to backfill the cuts with state money. \u201cWe have a $300 billion-plus budget,\u201d he said. \u201cBudgets are a statement of values.\u201d<br>&nbsp;<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ebar.com\/image\/stories\/11512\" alt=\"\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Candidate Tony Thurmond.&nbsp;&nbsp; Photo: Screengrab via KNBC-TV<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Grading themselves<\/strong><br>The candidates were asked at the outset to grade themselves with the LGBTQ community in mind.<br>&nbsp;<br>Bacerra didn\u2019t assign himself a letter grade, but pointed out that when he was in Congress, the House voted on the Defense of Marriage Act, which limited marriage to between one man and one woman. He was one of 67 representatives to vote no. (A section of DOMA has since been repealed by the U.S. Supreme Court; in 2022 then-President Joe Biden signed the Respect for Marriage Act, which repealed what was left of DOMA.)<br>&nbsp;<br>Porter said that she\u2019d \u201cgive myself an A.\u201d<br>&nbsp;<br>Swalwell, who said his record on the Human Rights Campaign\u2019s congressional scorecard has been 100%, gave himself \u201can A for ally.\u201d<br>&nbsp;<br>Steyer touted an endorsement from gay Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur (D-Hollywood), who is a former executive director of EQCA. \u201cFor me, the question is what people in the community think,\u201d he said.<br>&nbsp;<br>Thurmond noted his work on behalf of the community. \u201cI\u2019m a work in progress,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m not going to sit on my laurels.\u201d<br>&nbsp;<br>Villaraigosa gave himself an A+.<br>&nbsp;<br>Yee said she\u2019d give herself an A. \u201cI\u2019m a lifelong ally,\u201d she said.<br>&nbsp;<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ebar.com\/image\/stories\/11513\" alt=\"\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Candidate Antonio Villaraigosa.&nbsp;&nbsp; Photo: Screengrab via KNBC-TV<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;<strong>Polling, tough question<\/strong><br>A poll released last week by the Public Policy Institute of California shows a statistical tie between Democratic candidates Porter, Swalwell, and Steyer and the two Republicans, Hilton and Bianco. The five poll between 10% and 14%. The rest of the Democratic field polls at 5% or lower, according to the PPIC survey.<br>&nbsp;<br>The strong showings by Hilton and Bianco have left many Democrats worried that two Republicans could win in the June 2 primary, shutting out Democratic contenders in a deep blue state. Under the state\u2019s open primary, only the top two finishers, regardless of party affiliation, advance to the November 3 general election.<br>&nbsp;<br>That concern was evident at the recent California Democratic Convention in San Francisco, as the Bay Area Reporter&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ebar.com\/story\/163527\/News\/CA%20Dems%20divisions%20revealed%20over%20convention%20weekend\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">noted<\/a>. In a rare move, on Tuesday Rusty Hicks, chair of the California Democratic Party, urged struggling candidates to withdraw by the Friday, March 6, filing deadline.<br><br>And it was brought up at the LGBTQ-focused forum. The candidates were asked if they would endorse someone else if they dropped out of the race.<br>&nbsp;<br>Becerra, polling at 5%, said it was interesting that the candidates most often mentioned as ones to possibly drop out were people of color such as himself. He declined to endorse someone else.<br>&nbsp;<br>Porter said she was \u201cworried about the two Republican thing,\u201d but added that she\u2019s polling at the top of the Democratic field. She\u2019s polling at 13%, according to the survey.<br>&nbsp;<br>Swalwell, polling at 11%, said, \u201cI\u2019ve made the decision to win. We\u2019ve built the biggest coalition and I need all of you on the team.\u201d He referenced his place at the end of the debate stage back in 2019 when he briefly ran for president. \u201cI\u2019m now in the center of the stage,\u201d he said.<br>&nbsp;<br>Steyer, who\u2019s polling at 10%, said that there were \u201ca lot of people in this race that I respect.\u201d He did acknowledge that if he had to endorse one of the other candidates, it would be Yee.<br>&nbsp;<br>Thurmond, polling at 2%, said that he\u2019s run two statewide campaigns for state schools chief and won each time despite millions of dollars spent against him.<br>&nbsp;<br>\u201cMy team has already seen a path to victory,\u201d he said, though he did not elaborate.<br>&nbsp;<br>Villaraigosa, polling at 5%, said he would support Yee and Thurmond.<br>&nbsp;<br>Yee, also pulling in 5% support, said she would support Villaraigosa and Steyer. Of the former, she said he\u2019s been the \u201cbiggest champion\u201d and of Steyer, she said, \u201cHe brings something new to the race.\u201d<br>&nbsp;<br><strong>For highlights of the forum,&nbsp;<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbclosangeles.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>click here<\/strong><\/a><strong>.<\/strong><br><strong>&nbsp;<\/strong><br><strong>To view the forum, go to KNBC-TV\u2019s&nbsp;<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/tinyurl.com\/2wbcf728.%20WEB:%20https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCSWoppsVL0TLxFQ2qP_DLqQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>YouTube<\/strong><\/a><strong>&nbsp;channel.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Democratic gubernatorial candidates Xavier Becerra, left, Betty Yee, and Katie Porter took part in a forum at the Los Angeles LGBT Center. Photos: Screengrabs via KNBC-TV Seven Democratic candidates seeking to succeed California Governor Gavin Newsom said that they stood with the LGBTQ community during a forum Monday evening. One,&#8230; <a class=\"continue-reading-link\" href=\"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2026\/03\/06\/ca-dem-gov-candidates-discuss-lgbtq-issues-at-la-forum\/\"> Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr; <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47067"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47067"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47067\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":47068,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47067\/revisions\/47068"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47067"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47067"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47067"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}