March 28, 2024 The Newspaper Serving LGBT Los Angeles

CA Senate Bills You Need to Know About

SB 201, 159 and 233 all aim to make a change for LGBTQ+ members — find out who they aim to protect. 

Although the current political administration has made serious efforts to rollback protections and rights for the LGBTQ+ community, it seems as though California’s state government does a great deal to protect the community. 

Take Governor Gavin Newsom, for example. Newsom was advocating for same-sex marriage rights long before it was popular for Democratic candidates to do so. Most recently, Newsom has appointed an array of LGBTQ+ people to administration positions, according to The Sacramento Bee. 

That’s where advocacy groups like The Human Rights Campaign and Equality California come into play. Currently these groups have their sights on three little-known pro-equality bills: SB 201, SB 159 and SB 233. Not sure what those bills are meant for?

The Pride L.A. is here to help. 

SB 201: Safeguarding intersex youth 

Senate Bill 201 seeks to protect the bodily autonomy of intersex people who are below the age of consent. The bill aims to accomplish this by setting new standards on surgical practices of this kind. These procedures have been controversial for decades, according to Human Rights Watch. Doctors normally operate on the gonads, internal sex organs and genitals of intersex children, who are too young to make any decision regarding the operation. This bill aims to safely defer these practices. 

As many as 1.7 percent of babies are born with features different than what heteronormative societal standards expect a “boy” and “girl” to be. Some intersex traits include atypical external genitalia and chromosomes that don’t match the assigned sex according to societal standards. However, an intersex minor can be raised as either sex without surgery. Ultimately, one of the greatest risks produced by these kinds of surgeries is surgically assigning the child to the wrong sex, according to Human Rights Watch. 

The bill, which was introduced by Senator Scott Weiner, would also implement an unprofessional conduct clause for doctors who decide to go through with these surgeries even after the bill has passed. “Doctors would no longer be allowed to opine on intersex minors’ “psychosocial development” — that is, their ability to function and be accepted in society — as a relevant factor in recommending surgeries,” according to Them, an LGBTQ+ online news organization. 

SB 159: Increasing access to PrEP and PEP

This bill, introduced by Sen. Weiner and Assemblymember Todd Gloria, aims to reduce the barriers, set in place by insurance companies, to access HIV preventative medication, widely regarded as either PrEP and PEP. 

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a daily medication, taken by HIV-negative people, that almost completely eliminates the risk of contracting HIV, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Its counterpart, post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) is a medication taken by HIV-negative people that have been exposed to HIV. It’s meant to prevent the virus from replicating within the exposee’s system. 

In a nutshell, SB 159 authorizes pharmacists to provide PrEP and PEP to patients without a physician prescription, according to Equality California. Similar to how California pharmacists are already authorized to provide emergency contraceptives without a prescription. 

Furthermore, SB 159 would expand where PrEP and PEP is available. This includes increasing the number of healthcare professionals and facilities that can provide HIV preventative medications.

SB 233: Sex workers’ rights 

Sex workers face an adamant amount of danger in their profession. The death rate for sex workers in the United States alone is 204 out of every 100,000, according to online legal directory HG.org. The fact that these workers face a serious likelihood of being arrested after reporting a crime, such as rape, does not help that grim figure. 

“After 40 years in the sex trade, and being trafficked for 10 of those years, I never thought that we would see a change in my lifetime,” Pearl Callahan, Outreach Director for the Sex Workers Outreach Project Sacramento, Sex Worker, and Trafficking Survivor, said in a press release regarding SB 233. “Allowing sex workers to carry condoms and report violent offenses will be lifesaving.”

However, Senate Bill 233, also authored by Sen. Weiner, aims to protect sex workers from arrest when they report violent crimes to authorities, according to news organization SF Gate. This bill helps promote sex workers to report serious crimes while, simultaneously, helping find the criminals who often commit them and go free. 

“By enacting SB 233, California is sending a powerful message that we value the health and safety of sex workers,” Sen. Weiner said in the aforementioned press release. “When sex workers believe that reporting violent crimes or carrying condoms will get them arrested, they simply won’t take these steps, and we will all be less safe as a result. We need to create every incentive for sex workers to report crimes and to protect themselves and their clients from HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. SB 233 moves us in that direction.”

60 percent of sex workers experience violence in their profession, according to a 2014 study by the University of California, San Fransisco. Although the future of SB 201 and SB 159 are still unknown, SB 233 passed in late July. Now, sex workers can report, or be a witness to, crimes such as domestic violence, human trafficking and sexual battery without fearing arrest or other legal repercussions. 

Related Posts

Cantonese Dim Sum Master Chef Tony Opens Hollywood Dim Sum at TCL Chinese Theatre

March 27, 2024

March 27, 2024

Experience Exquisite Dim Sum Creations in the Heart of Hollywood 97 years after its founding, the TCL Chinese Theatre will...

Fleurs et Sel Bakery Opens Storefront in West Adams, Welcomes Customers Three Days a Week

March 27, 2024

March 27, 2024

Indulge in Freshly Baked Cookies at the New West Adams Location Fleurs et Sel Bakery, known for its delectable cookies...

Easter Specials Guide: Brunch Spots, Desserts, and More in West Los Angeles

March 27, 2024

March 27, 2024

Discover the Best Easter Eats and Treats in LA for Your Holiday Celebration Easter is almost here, so here are...

(Video) Director Adam Wingard Talks About His Influences While Making GODZILLA X KONG: THE NEW EMPIRE

March 27, 2024

March 27, 2024

Director Adam Wingard Talks About His Influences While Making GODZILLA X KONG: THE NEW EMPIRE at the Beyond Fest Screening...

Judy Garland’s Teenage Bel-Air Estate Hits Market for $11.495 Million

March 27, 2024

March 27, 2024

“Wizard of Oz” Star’s Former Home Offers Piece of Hollywood History A Bel-Air estate commissioned by Judy Garland during her...

Attorney for Sean “Diddy” Combs Denounces Investigation as “Witch Hunt”

March 26, 2024

March 26, 2024

Legal Representative Criticizes Probe Amid Federal Sex Trafficking Inquiry An attorney representing Sean “Diddy” Combs criticized the investigation into the...

Historic Union Contract Ratified by Thousands of Hotel Workers At 34 Hotels

March 26, 2024

March 26, 2024

UNITE HERE Local 11 Negotiates Agreement Ensuring Wage Increases  Hotel workers, who spearheaded the largest hotel strike in modern U.S....

Human Rights Campaign’s Los Angeles Dinner Celebrates LGBTQ+ Advocacy and Unity

March 25, 2024

March 25, 2024

Notable Figures Gathered to Champion LGBTQ+ Rights and Combat Discrimination By Aneesha Pappy  The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s...

California Bars and Nightclubs Must Offer Drug Testing Devices Starting July 1

March 25, 2024

March 25, 2024

New Law Mandates License Holders to Provide Drug Testing Kits to Patrons Beginning July 1, establishments with Type 48 licenses...

Opinion: West Los Angeles Needs to Care about Veteran Homelessness

March 25, 2024

March 25, 2024

By Kelly Kravchuk  Veteran homelessness is a public health concern that impacts my West Los Angeles community. As a USC...

Federal Agents Raid Property Linked to Music Mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs In Holmby Hills

March 25, 2024

March 25, 2024

Authorities Conduct Searches in Los Angeles as Part of Ongoing Sex Trafficking Probe Federal agents from the Department of Homeland...

Biden Signs Government Funding Bill with Ban on Pride Flags at Embassies

March 24, 2024

March 24, 2024

White House Vows Repeal Amid Controversy Over LGBTQ Provision President Biden signed a huge government funding package on Saturday, which...

City of Los Angeles Pays Nearly Half a Billion in Liability Claims Over Four Years

March 24, 2024

March 24, 2024

LA Controller’s Report Reveals Significant Payouts from General Fund LA City Controller Kenneth Mejia has continued to audit the City...

Infamous Beverly Hills Mansion Where Menéndez Brothers Committed Murders Sells for $17 Million

March 24, 2024

March 24, 2024

Notorious Property Closes Deal Exactly 28 Years After Conviction A mansion in Beverly Hills, California, notorious for being the site...

Former Beverly Hills Therapist Indicted for Alleged Distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Material

March 24, 2024

March 24, 2024

Suspect Faces Federal Charges Following Investigation into Online Activity A former licensed marriage and family therapist based in Beverly Hills...