March 24th, 2025
The Honorable Caroline Menjivar
Chair, Senate Health Committee
1021 O Street, Room 3310
Sacramento, CA 95814
RE: Support for Senate Bill 418 (Menjivar)
Dear Chair,
Mental Health America of California (MHAC) is pleased to support Senate Bill 418 (Menjivar), a bill that would prohibit discrimination or a denial of benefits from a health plan or insurer based on race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex with specific protections for the LGBTQ+ community.
MHAC is a peer-run organization leading the state in behavioral health public policy and advocacy since 1957. The mission of MHAC is to assist and encourage communities, families and individuals to experience hope, wellness and recovery from mental health and substance use disorder issues through voluntary services that are delivered in their local community with compassion and respect for everyone’s dignity and autonomy.
As healthcare institutions face increasing scrutiny from the federal administration for providing gender-affirming care, denials of such care are expected to rise unless specific protections are established. These denials include limiting access to essential services and adopting policies that restrict or exclude the LGBTQ+ community from receiving gender-affirming care.
This bill strengthens protections for the LGBTQ+ population by explicitly defining discrimination based on sex to include sex characteristics, pregnancy and related conditions, sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex stereotypes. Ensuring access to gender-affirming care is critical for the well-being of transgender individuals, as it provides access to necessary medical, mental health, and substance use services and supports. According to The Trevor Project, there has been a 72% increase in suicide attempts among transgender youth due to the rise in anti-transgender laws.[1] These laws attempt to erase the existence of the transgender community by denying access to direct services and critical care.
Everyone deserves access to essential services and support. It is for these reasons MHAC supports Senate Bill 418 (Menjivar) and asks for your “Aye” vote. If you have any questions, or if MHAC can provide any assistance on this bill or any behavioral health legislation, please do not hesitate to contact me at hstrunk@mhac.org or our Director of Public Policy, Karen Vicari, at kvicari@mhaofca.org.
In Community,
Heidi L. Strunk
President & CEO
[1] News, T. (2025a, February 11). Anti-transgender laws cause up to 72% increase in suicide attempts among transgender and nonbinary youth, study shows. The Trevor Project.