'The room was full because everybody knew who it was important to,' retired guardsman who attended ceremony tells the Free Beacon. Military leaders at the highest levels of the California National Guard pledged loyalty to the LGBT community during an official ceremony led by the general whom Gov. Gavin Newsom (D.) later appointed to lead the force in 2022. One attendee told the Washington Free Beacon that members felt pressured to appear at the ceremony, which felt 'culty.'