California lawmakers approve measure protecting medical data of transgender peoplehttps://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/california-lawmakers-approve-measure-protecting-192041274.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAMoYBvCkYXp2wFw6BXavrGvrmoVx4vJWAevK479lfonuC-2Jcl_rmFL-pTRDmdYCGf6qXXiu4LRsdV8TViWbLHz_FtlyzKUf1mhB4sjLIMBMEyCXigDtDJcZnvw78GRmRspxmB2BTx8g89deiUH2SOOMhEUXRJexkMhjy6KdZ2E6Brooke Migdon (12 Sep 2025)
California lawmakers passed legislation this week to prevent health providers from releasing transgender patients' confidential medical records in investigations of gender-affirming care in states that ban treatment for minors.
Senate Bill 497, introduced in February by Sen. Scott Wiener, a Democrat representing San Francisco, builds upon a 2022 state law that established California as a state of refuge for transgender people. That law, also authored by Wiener, prevents states that have banned gender-affirming care for minors from taking legal action against trans youth, their families and their doctors over treatment administered in California.
The latest bill would require law enforcement requesting health information about transgender people in California to provide a warrant, according to Wiener's office. It would also bar medical providers from complying with out-of-state requests, including subpoenas, for information related to gender-affirming care.
"California must do everything in our power to protect the transgender community, and I'm confident that the Governor will continue his longstanding leadership on trans issues," Wiener said in a statement on Thursday after the bill passed.
The California Senate voted 30-10 on Wednesday to pass Wiener's bill, which the state Assembly passed earlier this week. A spokesperson for California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) declined to comment, saying the governor's office does not typically remark on pending legislation.
