The measure also defines how gays could be killed: via "bullets to the head" or "any other convenient method," according to the bill's text.

The measure, called the Sodomite Suppression Act, is stirring controversy not just for its text but also for matters of free speech.

In California, when a ballot measure is filed, the state's attorney general is charged with writing and presenting a title and summary. Experts told the Sacramento Bee that Attorney General Kamala Harris "has little choice but to let the process continue and that McLaughlin is unlikely to face professional repercussions."

Backlash to the measure was swift. The California Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Caucus has written to the state's bar asking for McLaughlin to be investigated, and a petition to disbar McLaughlin has 3,800 signatures, the Bee reports.

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U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff waves to a crowd of supporters during his "Rally For Our Republic" event on Saturday, July 12, 2025, inside the Kehoe Iron Works building at Trustees Garden in Savannah. During his speech, Ossoff said, "What’s happening to our country right now should chill us to the bone." (Sarah Peacock for the AJC)

Credit: Sarah Peacock for the AJC