SACRAMENTO, CA —The California Legislative LGBTQ Caucus released the following statement on condemning Governor Newsom’s harmful rhetoric on “normalcy”:
“It’s deeply concerning for anyone, especially our elected leaders, to be defining who or what is ‘culturally normal.’ By definition, it implies someone else is ‘not normal.’ Every member of the LGBTQ+ community has been accused of not being ‘normal’ at some point in their lives, and dealing with that accusation is the essence of the struggle to come out, to take pride in oneself, and to be seen and treated as equal in America. Before World War II, women being in the workplace was not ‘culturally normal.’ Before the ratification of the Fifteenth and Nineteenth Amendments, women and communities of color wanting the right to vote was not ‘culturally normal.’ Before Loving v. Virginia, interracial relationships were not ‘culturally normal.’ Arguments about cultural normalcy have been used to justify exclusion, discrimination, and even violence, and must not be restated.
We cannot adopt the language of MAGA extremists who in the last year are actively seeking to roll back the rights of women, LGBTQ+ individuals, and marginalized communities on the basis of what they assert is ‘culturally normal.’
If somebody is transgender, they are normal and deserve the same rights and dignity as everyone else. Full stop.”