California LGBTQ+ HHS Network Responds to May Revise Budget Cuts to Health Programs for LGBTQ+ Californians
SACRAMENTO, CA – The California LGBTQ Health and Human Services Network is deeply alarmed by the proposed budget cuts to vital health programs within the California Department of Public Health’s Office of Health Equity. These funds directly support LGBTQ+-serving organizations and reproductive health efforts across the state. Dannie Ceseña, Director of the California LGBTQ Health and Human Services Network, issued the following statement:
“The Governor’s revised budget includes a proposal to cut nearly $17 million in funding for the Office of Health Equity. This would eliminate the Gender Health Equity Unit and end all LBTQ and reproductive health grants by the end of June 2025.
This proposal is devastating. The Office of Health Equity has been an instrumental partner to our work for years, as we led Phase I of the California Reducing Disparities Project and served as key advocates for the establishment of the Gender Health Equity Unit.
The unfortunate reality is that we saw these cuts on the horizon. They come at a time when LGBTQ+ research is being defunded, gender-affirming care is under attack, and access to life-saving services like mental health care is shrinking. These decisions hit the LGBTQ+ community first – and leave long-lasting impacts. Combined with proposed Medicaid cuts, this leaves many without alternatives to turn to, especially in rural communities. For many community-based organizations, this funding is a lifeline.
Slashing nearly half of the Office of Health Equity’s budget, the only state office specifically dedicated to addressing health disparities, is a deep betrayal of trust. It undermines decades of advocacy and investment in improving the health and well-being of the communities that remain disproportionately impacted. If these decisions move forward, the consequences to our health will be real, measurable, and long-lasting.
This is no longer a question of if these cuts will hurt — it’s when. Other communities will be left behind and forgotten when essential resources are stripped away.
California should be leading the nation — not cutting the very programs that expand access to care and save lives for LGBTQ+ people. We call on Governor Newsom and our legislators to reconsider these cuts and protect the programs that expand access to life-saving services for LGBTQ+ Californians.”
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Press inquiries can be directed to:
Ariela Cuellar, CA LGBTQ HHS Network, acuellar@health-access.org, (916)-572-2767
The California LGBTQ Health & Human Services Network is an LGBTQ-specific program of Health Access, bringing together more than 60 non-profit providers, community centers, and researchers to advocate collectively for state level policies and resources that will advance LGBTQ health. Founded in 2007, the Network provides coordinated leadership about LGBTQ health policy in a proactive, responsive manner that promotes health and well-being as part of the movement for LGBTQ equality, and ensures that there is a distinct LGBTQ voice in health policy decision-making venues.