Governor Newsom’s Chilling Anti-Free Speech Bill

Governor Newsom signed California Assembly Bill 1803 on September 27th. It takes effect on January 1, 2028.

The law requires employers to integrate “anti-hate speech” instruction into workplace harassment training. It is drawing criticism from conservative Christians, who say it forces employers to promote a government-approved viewpoint.

Churches are not exempt.

It requires employers with five or more employees covered by the state’s existing harassment-training requirements to include additional instruction on recognizing, reporting, and addressing workplace speech that “vilifies, humiliates, or incites hatred” based on protected characteristics, including sexual orientation and gender identity. But Christian churches that base their teachings on biblical passages stating that homosexual acts or same-sex relationships are contrary to biblical teaching, are not explicitly exempt from the new training requirements.

Church leaders are worried, but it also violates the First Amendment. If the GOP loses control of the government, the Democrats will stack the Court and the First Amendment will be the first to go.

Image: Grok AI