With the anti-LGBTQ executive orders coming from President Donald Trump at a rapid clip — the most recent one issued Tuesday states the federal government will not "fund, sponsor, promote, assist, or support the so-called transition of a child from one sex to another" — it's been frustrating and appalling that California health officials have decided to "obey in advance" and pull a Trumpian move of their own by canceling an existing contract that had been dedicated for the development and implementation of an LGBTQ+ youth mental health campaign. With all the adverse orders from Trump, such a campaign is needed now more than ever in the state.
We're specifically calling out Dr. Erica Pan, the state's incoming director of public health, and Dr. Sohil Sud, director of the Children Youth Behavioral Health Initiative, both of whom sent the cancellation notice. Neither has been responsive to the California LGBTQ Health and Human Services Network, which first raised the alarm. In their letter Pan and Sud said that it would be better to leverage "the research and findings developed and incorporating them within the existing Take Space to Pause campaign. The $21+ million statewide Take Space to Pause campaign launched in December 2024 and continues through early 2026." That campaign aims to teach young people how to deal with various stressors in their life.
But that's different from the program created by an LGBTQ advisory group recruited by consulting firm Change Craft, whose contract was rescinded by the state health officials. Dubbed "THIS IS ME" by LGBTQ+ youth themselves, it is specifically designed for queer and trans youth. As we reported online a couple of weeks ago, there are an estimated 1,160,000 LGBTQ youth in the Golden State between the ages of 13 and 25, with numerous studies showing they are at higher risk for anxiety, depression, and suicide compared to their heterosexual peers.
"To address and reduce the unique stigmas faced by LGBTQ+ youth, state health officials had awarded a $3 million-plus contract to an LGBTQ-owned consulting firm last year to develop a campaign to roll out statewide. It was expected to debut this spring in cities across California," reported Bay Area Reporter assistant editor Matthew S. Bajko.
"But according to an email sent out January 15 by the California LGBTQ Health and Human Services Network, the California Department of Public Health canceled the LGBTQ+ Youth Mental Health Campaign 'without explanation,'" Bajko writes. "It had been funded by the state agency's Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative known as CYBHI for short."
Officials with Change Craft are just as mystified as LGBTQ health leaders about why the program was canceled just months before its debut. Last week, Dannie Ceseña, the LGBTQ network's first Two-Spirit and Native director, and numerous LGBTQ organizations sent a 10-page letter to Pan, Sud, and other state officials asking for an in-person meeting and much more information about why the Change Craft contract was canceled. The letter asks for the rationale for cancellation; which LGBTQ+ public health experts were consulted; and how the state plans to preserve the progress made thus far, including research findings, planned creative content and planned implementation partnerships with local community based organizations.
Groups such as Equality California, the statewide LGBTQ rights organization, were signatories, along with Bay Area-based Our Families Coalition. Individual members of the campaign's LGBTQ+ advisory panel also signed the letter, including many youth themselves. They had their own questions for state officials, such as why the decision was made in such an abrupt manner and how any new approach would have a greater impact.
On this last point, we would argue that the new approach of folding the LGBTQ+ program into Take Space to Pause would not be beneficial to queer youth. This is a population that has unique needs, as the letter notes. "Many of the findings produced by our research directly contradict this approach," the letter states. "Our research findings call for a tailored LGBTQ+ strategy that connects directly to queer youth identity as the primary lever to pull as part of improving mental health. The suggested generic market campaign does not currently take this approach so it's challenging to see how research findings would allow for a meaningful way to accomplish this."
And here's the rub. The state approved a contract for a specific program for LGBTQ+ youth and now wants to fold it into a generic youth campaign. For what? The $3 million-plus contract is a rounding error in last year's $279.9 billion state budget. The contract is almost over, meaning the work is nearly completed. It makes no sense for the state Department of Public Health to take this action.
Unless, that is, the department is trying to curry favor with federal officials. Trump has made no secret of his utter disdain for trans youth — witness the abovementioned executive order — and while it shouldn't affect how the Golden State spends its own money on programs targeting minority populations, it's easy to see officials becoming more fearful and less inclined to support such programs now that Trump is back in power. This is what we must watch out for. It would be one thing if the Change Craft contract was pulled at the beginning. But to cancel it after so much work has already been done, and as it's being prepared to roll out, is mind-boggling.
The California Legislative LGBTQ Caucus has harshly criticized the decision, as we noted in our article. The LGBTQ+ mental health campaign was the only one the caucus was able to secure funding for last year, as gay Assemblymember Chris Ward (D-San Diego) stated. "LGBTQ+ youth face the highest rates of mental health concerns amongst all youth, so for the department to cancel this initiative aimed at supporting the most impacted youth is beyond us," Ward added.
We call on the California Department of Public Health to immediately restore the Change Craft contract. LGBTQ+ youth are going to need all the support they can get as the federal government sets forth on its draconian path of intimidation, discrimination, and lies. If there's one thing state officials should agree on, it's that a mental health campaign for vulnerable youth is way overdue.
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