- Homosexuality
- ⚢✔ Legal
- Gay Marriage
- ⚭✔ Legal
- Censorship
- ✔ No censorship
- Changing Gender
- ✔ Legal, no restrictions
- Gender-Affirming Care
- ✔ Legal
- Non-Binary Gender Recognition
- ✔ Recognized
- Discrimination
- ✔ Illegal
- Employment Discrimination
- ✔ Sexual orientation and gender identity
- Housing Discrimination
- ✔ Sexual orientation and gender identity
- Adoption
- ✔ Legal
- Intersex Infant Surgery
- ✖ Not banned
- Military
- ✖ Lesbians, gays, bisexuals permitted, transgender people banned
- Donating Blood
- ✔ Legal
- Conversion Therapy
- ✔ Banned
- Age of Consent
- ✔ Equal
Public Opinion
Surveys in California have shown mixed views towards LGBTQ+ rights and issues.
Perception of LGBTQ+ People
Survey results from 25 LGBTQ+ Equaldex users who lived in or visited California.
Overall
Perceived Safety**Survey results represent personal perceptions of safety and may not be indicative of current actual conditions.
Equal Treatment
Visibility & Representation
Culture
Services
History
Homosexual activity in California is legal.
Same-sex marriage in California is legal.
Censorship of LGBT issues in California is no censorship.
Right to change legal gender in California is legal, no restrictions.
Gender-affirming care in California is legal.
Legal recognition of non-binary gender in California is recognized.
LGBT discrimination in California is illegal.
Also, In 2014, California became the first state in the U.S. to officially ban the use of gay panic and transgender panic defenses in murder trials.
LGBT employment discrimination in California is sexual orientation and gender identity.
LGBT housing discrimination in California is sexual orientation and gender identity.
Additionally, the Human Rights Campaign states, "The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requires grantees and participants of HUD programs to comply with local and state non-discrimination laws that include sexual orientation and gender identity. HUD also prohibits inquiries regarding the sexual orientation or gender identity of a prospective tenant or applicant for assisted housing in every state (March 2012)."
Same-sex adoption in California is legal.
Intersex infant surgery in California is not banned.
Serving openly in military in California is lesbians, gays, bisexuals permitted, transgender people banned.
On February 10th, 2025, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth filed in court a memo relating to President Trump’s executive order from the previous month.
From then until March 18th, 2025, The U.S. military prohibited transgender individuals from enlisting and ceased providing or supporting gender transition procedures for service members.
Blood donations by MSMs in California is legal.
Conversion therapy in California is banned.
Equal age of consent in California is equal.