The Glorious 2024 Hope of Democrats is now in the LGBTQIA++ fire from the French Laundry. Gavin Newsom recently ran an advertisement in Florida lecturing California’s expanding ex-pat community about how much freedom they’re losing, particularly in terms of sexual preferences and women’s rights. The governor of California fired off that salvo in obvious anticipation of the 2024 election cycle before departing on vacation, but his office refused to provide any information regarding his whereabouts.
And for good reason, as Emily Hoeven, a CalMatters reporter, discovered. After complaining about Florida’s lack of freedom in these matters, Newsom took a vacation in Montana, a state to which he had forbade California officials from going for business over the very same concerns he emphasized in his lecture:
The governor’s office appeared reluctant to share this information. In contrast to previous out-of-state trips, the governor’s office did not respond to inquiries about his whereabouts or a specific return date until Tuesday, despite stating on Friday that he had left California to spend time with family. (A spokesperson stated on Tuesday that Newsom has not yet made plans for his return trip, but that he will do so this weekend and return to work on Monday.)
In response to a query about why that information wasn’t initially disclosed, the governor’s office remained silent. But one reason might be that California has prohibited state-funded and state-sponsored travel to 22 states, including Montana, citing laws it views as discriminatory against LGBTQ+ people.
Additionally, Newsom’s office has criticized Montana for limiting access to abortions. In response to the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, his office stated in a press release on June 24 that Montana will probably outlaw the procedure, despite local media reports to the contrary.
The spokesperson for Newsom made an effort to deny the report by Hoeven’s clear implication. Anthony York argued that Newsom has never passed legislation requiring Californians, including state officials, to stay away from Montana and the other 21 states on his list of prohibited travel destinations for personal vacations. York remained silent when Hoeven made an obvious follow-up remark, though:
Anthony York, a spokesman for Newsom, claims that California does not regulate where people vacation and that the travel ban only applies to using state funds. He claims that CA is not covering Newsom’s travel expenses.
If Newsom is in Montana with his security detail, which is almost certain, then he is forcing California employees to travel to Montana in violation of his own travel ban.
Naturally, this is not Newsom’s first instance of hypocrisy. In November 2020, Newsom was caught taking part in an indoor multi-household birthday party at the upscale restaurant French Laundry while he had ordered social withdrawal, mask wear, and school closings in the COVID-19 pandemic. Just to remind everyone, that was prior to the release of COVID-19 vaccines (the FDA issued the first emergency-use authorization a month later). That nearly cost Newsom his job because Californians were on the verge of recalling him due to their resentment over his elitism and contempt for adhering to their own rules.
Even so, this is not Newsom’s first act of summertime hypocrisy. Last year, while Newsom kept schoolchildren segregated in buildings and covered up in camps, he sent his own children there—at least until the media learned about it. And don’t forget that Newsom sent his own children to a private school that offered hybrid learning while he kept the public schools closed:
After he was discovered eating at the posh French Laundry restaurant while telling Californians to avoid gatherings of more than three households, signatures in favor of the recall shot up in November. Additionally, he received criticism for enrolling his kids in a private school that used a hybrid learning model while the majority of students in public schools continued to use distance learning.
In one sense, Newsom’s Florida advertisement was accurate. In California, you can find freedom if your last name is Newsom. In that case, you won’t be subject to the rules; only everyone else will.
One has to wonder how much criticism LGBTQIA+ activists will level at Newsom for using his vacation funds in a state that Newsom himself ought to avoid due to their policies. Those activists would publicly execute Newsom for this if Joe Biden were even the slightest bit competent. Don’t anticipate too much backlash because Biden is now widely perceived as being not only incompetent but also possibly non compos mentis. In 2024, Newsom might be their only option.
