Samuel Garrett-Pate

As legislatures and governors in dozens of states across the country advance a record number of bills targeting transgender children, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced a budget proposal on Friday that includes $3 million for the California Department of Education to develop an LGBTQ+ cultural competency training curriculum for public school teachers and staff [p. 54]. The funding was requested by Equality California, the nation’s largest statewide LGBTQ+ civil rights organization, and the request was supported by the California Legislative LGBTQ Caucus.

The budget allocation is a significant victory for the LGBTQ+ community and for Equality California, which has long advocated for such training, arguing that it is critical to ensuring teachers have the tools and training to support LGBTQ+ students, who face lower school completion rates, higher rates of depression and suicidal ideation and higher rates of youth homelessness. As many as four out of 10 youth experiencing homelessness in California identify as LGBTQ+.

“We’re thrilled that the governor has prioritized giving our public school teachers and staff the tools and training they need to support LGBTQ+ students,” said Equality California Executive Director Rick Chavez Zbur. “While states across the country are attacking transgender kids, Governor Newsom is working to ensure every child has a safe, supportive school and a shot at success.”

The California Teachers Association and the California Federation of Teachers — the state’s two largest teachers unions — have strongly supported Equality California’s proposals to ensure public school teachers and staff have the tools and training they need to support LGBTQ+ students.

“Governor Newsom and Superintendent Thurmond have once again demonstrated their dedication to supporting LGBTQ+ students,” said California Federation fo Teachers President Jeff Freitas. “The proposed $3 million to fund the development of LGBTQ+ cultural competency trainings for educators and classified professionals will empower these school workers to have the tools they need to best support LGBTQ+ students.  As the president of CFT, as a math teacher, and as a board member of Equality California, I applaud this effort.”

In 2018, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond — then a member of the California Assembly — passed legislation sponsored by Equality California to require school districts to provide teachers and staff with LGBTQ+ cultural competency training, but the bill was vetoed by Governor Jerry Brown. The following year, then-Assemblymember Todd Gloria — who now serves as mayor of San Diego — authored similar legislation sponsored by Thurmond and Equality California, but the training mandate was ultimately stripped from the bill due to lack of funding.

GLSEN’s 2019 National School Climate Survey found that 52.4% of students reported that their teachers or other school staff made homophobic remarks, and 66.7% of students reported that their teachers or other school staff spoke negatively about students’ gender expression. These remarks pose a risk of immediate harm to students’ well-being. These statistics also suggest that students may be learning anti-LGBTQ+ language and perspectives from school personnel, perpetuating the societal cycle of anti-LGBTQ+ stigma that feeds the negative health, economic, and other disparities that LGBTQ+ people experience.

Beyond remarks, a staggering 86.3% of LGBTQ+ students experienced harassment or assault based on their sexual orientation, gender expression, or other personal characteristics. Over half (56.6%) of these LGBTQ+ students never reported the harassment or assault to school staff for a variety of reasons, including a fear of escalation, a belief that school staff would not effectively intervene, shame, the involvement of school staff in the harassment or assault, or other concerns. When students did report incidents, 60.5% of them said that staff did nothing.

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Equality California is the nation’s largest statewide LGBTQ civil rights organization. We bring the voices of LGBTQ people and allies to institutions of power in California and across the United States, striving to create a world that is healthy, just, and fully equal for all LGBTQ people. We advance civil rights and social justice by inspiring, advocating and mobilizing through an inclusive movement that works tirelessly on behalf of those we serve. www.eqca.org

Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco)’s Senate Bill 357, the Safer Streets for All Act, passed the Senate Public Safety Committee by a vote of 4-1. SB 357 repeals provisions of California law that criminalize loitering for the intent to engage in sex work. These provisions — arrests for which are based on an officer’s subjective perception of whether a person is “acting like” they intend to engage in sex work — result in the disproportionate criminalization of trans, Black and Brown women, and perpetuates violence toward sex workers. SB 357 does not decriminalize soliciting or engaging in sex work. Rather, it simply eliminates an anti-loitering offense that leads to harmful treatment of people for simply “appearing” to be a sex worker.

Criminalizing sex work does not make sex workers or our communities safer. Most criminal penalties for sex workers, loitering laws included, do nothing to stop sex crimes against sex workers and human trafficking. People engaged in sex work deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.

In February, a similar piece of legislation to repeal this type of loitering ban became law in New York. SB 357 is part of the movement to end discrimination against and violence toward sex workers, especially the most targeted communities — trans, Black, and Brown people. SB 357 is cosponsored by Positive Women’s Network – USA, St. James Infirmary, SWOP LA, TransLatin@ Coalition, Asian Pacific Islander Legal Outreach, Equality California and the ACLU of California. 

Under current law, it is a crime to loiter in a public place with the “intent” to commit a sex work-related offense. But this law can be broadly interpreted, and thus allows for discriminatory application against the LGBTQ community and people of color. Law enforcement can use a non-exhaustive list of circumstances to subjectively determine if someone “intends” to engage in sex work, including factors such as speaking with other pedestrians, being in an area where sex work has occurred before, wearing revealing clothing, or moving in a certain way. Because current law regarding loitering is highly subjective and vague, law enforcement officers disproportionately profile and target Black and Brown transgender women by stopping and arresting people for discriminatory and inappropriate reasons. This is how Black and Brown transgender women get arrested and cited for simply walking on the street. It also gives law enforcement the ability to more easily target and arrest sex workers.

People within the LGBTQ, Black, and Brown communities report high rates of police misconduct throughout the United States and are disproportionately affected by police violence. Transgender people who have done street-based sex work are more than twice as likely to report physical assault by police officers and four times as likely to report sexual assault by police. A Black person is 3.5 times more likely to be shot by police than a white person. These statistics are a daily reality that transgender, Black and Brown people face and lead to mistrust of law enforcement.

SB 357 will repeal a discriminatory law that makes it a crime to loiter with the intent to engage in sex work, given that it fails to prevent street-based sex work and disproportionally results in the criminalization of transgender people and communities of color.

“Sex workers are workers like anyone else, and they deserve to be treated with dignity and respect,” said Senator Wiener. “Our criminal justice system criminalizes people – particularly Black, Brown and LGTBQ people – for simply existing and going about their lives. Laws like this one do nothing to make people safer, or stop sex trafficking. Instead, they criminalize members of our community who are simply going about their lives. We need to support sex workers instead of criminalizing them.”

“This is just one step towards ending the criminalization of the color of a person’s skin, their gender or their livelihood,” said Celestina Pearl of St. James Infirmary. “We all deserve to exist in public peacefully without fear of arrest.”

Fatima Shabazz of Fatima Speaks, and co-lead the Policy Committee of the DecrimSexWorkCA Coalition added, “This is the first step in repealing a Jim Crow law that criminalizes Black and trans people in public spaces.”

“For far too long, California law has been used to arbitrarily target, harass and arrest transgender and gender-nonconforming people simply for existing in public spaces,” said Tami A. Martin, Equality California Legislative Director. “Let’s be clear: this law doesn’t make our communities safer — it contributes to distrust between LGBTQ+ people of color and law enforcement. By listening to and following the lead of transgender people of color — who are most often targets of archaic and discriminatory loitering laws — California has the opportunity to boldly stand on the side of justice and improve public safety. All LGBTQ+ people deserve to exist without fear of harassment and violence, which is why we are proud to cosponsor SB 357.”

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Equality California is the nation’s largest statewide LGBTQ+ civil rights organization. We bring the voices of LGBTQ+ people and allies to institutions of power in California and across the United States, striving to create a world that is healthy, just, and fully equal for all LGBTQ+ people. We advance civil rights and social justice by inspiring, advocating and mobilizing through an inclusive movement that works tirelessly on behalf of those we serve. www.eqca.org

Equality California, the nation’s largest statewide LGBTQ+ civil rights organization, announced early 2022 endorsements of four Congressional incumbents in key 2022 battleground districts on Wednesday: Rep. John Garamendi (CA-03), Rep. Josh Harder (CA-10), Rep. Katie Porter (CA-45) and Rep. Mike Levin (CA-49). Protecting the four incumbents and winning back Congressional seats lost to anti-LGBTQ+ candidates in 2020 will be a top priority for the organization ahead of the 2022 midterm elections.

“Protecting our champions in Congress and expanding our pro-equality House majority are critical priorities for the LGBTQ+ community,” said Equality California Executive Director Rick Chavez Zbur. “Voters gave the Biden-Harris Administration a mandate in 2020: pass the Equality Act, reform our broken immigration system, advance racial justice and equity and expand access to quality, affirming healthcare. The Biden-Harris agenda is achievable, but only if we ensure they have pro-equality partners in Congress — and all four of these leaders have demonstrated their unwavering commitment to creating a world that is healthy, just and fully equal for all LGBTQ+ people.”

Candidate Reactions:

“I’m honored to be endorsed by Equality California—an organization that understands that we must have equal opportunity for all, do what we can to end discrimination, and remove barriers to opportunity,” said Rep. John Garamendi. “Throughout our country’s proud history, every generation has faced a national debate on civil rights issues. While these struggles have often been slow and arduous, as we have witnessed for more than two centuries, the trajectory of our society is toward more equality under the law. That’s why I support legislation like the Equality Act, which would update the Civil Rights Act to include LGBT Americans, specifically making it illegal to discriminate against them in the workplace, housing, and public accommodations. Thank you to Equality California for their endorsement. Together, we will work to end discrimination in our nation and create a more just and fair society.”

“No matter who you are or who you love, you deserve equal treatment under the law,” said Rep. Josh Harder. “I’m proud to stand with our LGBTQ neighbors and loved ones, and will keep fighting to make sure they are finally treated with the respect and equality they deserve.”

“Equality California has been a leader and a key partner as I advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, and I am thrilled to receive their early endorsement,” said Rep. Katie Porter. “Until every American, regardless of who they are or who they love, can live free from hate, discrimination, and violence, I’ll keep up the fight. I look forward to continuing to work with Equality California to build an equal and just future for all.”

“Equality California is one of the nation’s most effective organizations advancing the rights of the LGBTQ+ community and social justice,” said Rep. Mike Levin. “In the past two decades they have led the fight to pass over 150 bills and resolutions advancing human rights in the California legislature. I am deeply honored that they have recognized me as an ally and that they have endorsed my campaign for re-election to Congress.”

For a complete list of Equality California’s current endorsements, visit eqca.org/elections.

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Equality California is the nation’s largest statewide LGBTQ civil rights organization. We bring the voices of LGBTQ people and allies to institutions of power in California and across the United States, striving to create a world that is healthy, just, and fully equal for all LGBTQ people. We advance civil rights and social justice by inspiring, advocating and mobilizing through an inclusive movement that works tirelessly on behalf of those we serve. www.eqca.org

The California Legislative LGBTQ Caucus, the LGBTQ Caucus of the League of California Cities and Equality California, the nation’s largest statewide LGBTQ+ civil rights organization, announced their opposition to the misguided and dangerous effort to recall Governor Gavin Newsom during a virtual press conference on Friday (Facebook, Download). Equality California Executive Director Rick Chavez Zbur, Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara, Legislative LGBTQ Caucus Chair Assemblymember Evan Low (D-Campbell), former Chair Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), Senator John Laird (D-Santa Cruz), Assemblymember Chris Ward (D-San Diego), Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia, League of California Cities LGBTQ Caucus Board Member Palm Springs Mayor Pro Tem Lisa Middleton and BART Board Director Janice Li praised Governor Newsom’s long record of support for LGBTQ+ civil rights and his leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic, national economic downturn and devastating wildfires. The leaders also spoke to the risk that the partisan recall effort, led and funded by anti-LGBTQ+ and pro-Trump extremists, poses to LGBTQ+ Californians and the diverse communities to which LGBTQ+ people belong.

After the press conference, 60* LGBTQ+ elected officials throughout California (listed below) released the following joint statement opposing the recall effort:

“As LGBTQ+ Californians and elected leaders in our communities, we strongly oppose the misguided effort to recall Governor Gavin Newsom. This attempt to remove the Governor — led and funded by anti-LGBTQ+ and pro-Trump extremists — is the product of a coordinated disinformation campaign that will cost the state of California $100 million. Instead, this money should be used to support Californians as our state recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic. The recall poses an especially grave threat to our LGBTQ+ community and the progress that California continues to make toward full, lived equality for all people.

“Throughout his career, Governor Newsom has been a dedicated ally of the LGBTQ+ community and an unyielding champion in our fight for civil rights and social justice. He stood with us at times when it was not politically popular, regardless of personal and professional risks, because he knew it was the right thing to do. He has taken bold, principled actions to advance marriage equality, expand access to life-saving HIV prevention medication, protect transgender Californians from discrimination, and ensure that California’s government reflects the diversity of our communities.

“Governor Newsom’s leadership has earned the trust of LGBTQ+ Californians, and our community stands ready to defeat a recall.”

The following officials signed the statement above:

• California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara
• U.S. Representative Mark Takano
• California Senator Susan Talamantes Eggman
• California Senator John Laird
• California Senator Scott Wiener
• California Assemblymember Sabrina Cervantes
• California Assemblymember Evan Low
• California Assemblymember Chris Ward
• San Leandro Unified School District Board Trustee James Aguilar
• San Leandro Vice Mayor Victor Aguilar
• Berkeley Unified School District Board President Judy Appel
• Signal Hill City Treasurer Larry Blunden
• Los Angeles City Councilmember Mike Bonin
• Anaheim City Councilmember Jordan Brandman
• Former San Mateo County Harbor District Commissioner Sabrina Rose Brennan
• El Monte Union High School District Board President Florencio Briones
• Belvedere Mayor James Campbell
• Pleasant Hill City Councilmember Ken Carlson
• Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board Commissioner James Chang
• San Francisco Treasurer José Cisneros
• Redlands City Councilmember Denise Davis
• Hacienda La Puente Unified School District Board Member Anthony A. Duarte
• Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Board Director Bevan Dufty
• Oceanside Unified School District Trustee Eleanor Evans
• Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority Director Shay Franco-Clausen
• Los Angeles City Controller Ron S. Galperin
• Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia
• San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria
• Former San Diego City Council President Georgette Gómez
• Cathedral City Mayor Gregory Raymond
• Sacramento Municipal Utility District Board Member Rosanna Herber
• Pajaro Valley Unified School District Trustee Jennifer Holm
• Palm Springs Mayor Christy Holstege
• West Basin Municipal Water District Director Scott Houston
• Palm Springs City Councilmember Geoff Kors
• Los Angeles County Supervisor Sheila J. Kuehl
• Dublin City Councilmember Shawn Kumagai
• Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Board Director Janice Li
• Monterey Park Mayor Pro Tem Henry Lo
• Former Stockton Unified School District Board President Lange Luntao
• San Francisco Supervisor Rafael Mandelman
• Palm Springs Mayor Pro Tem Lisa Middleton
• Encinitas City Councilmember Joe Mosca
• College of Marin Board Trustee Stephanie O’Brien
• San Leandro Unified School District Board Member Peter Oshinski
• Oak Grove School District Board of Trustees Vice President Jorge Pacheco, Jr.
• Chula Vista City Councilmember and California Coastal Commission Chair Steve C. Padilla
• San Carlos Mayor Laura Parmer-Lohan
• Los Angeles County Assessor Jeff Prang
• San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District Director Miles Prince
• El Cerrito Mayor Pro Tem Gabriel Quinto
• Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Board Vice President Rebecca Saltzman
• San Francisco Unified School District Commissioner Mark Sanchez
• Cabrillo Community College District Trustee Adam Spickler
• City College of San Francisco Trustee Tom Temprano
• Marin Community College District Board of Trustees President Wanden Treanor
• Los Angeles Community College District Trustee David Vela**
• Palm Springs City Councilmember Dennis Woods
• San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District Board President Thomas Wong
• Fullerton City Councilmember Ahmad Zahra
• Desert Healthcare District Director Dr. Les Zendle

*Number updated to reflect new total
**Added March 18, 2021

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Equality California is the nation’s largest statewide LGBTQ civil rights organization. We bring the voices of LGBTQ people and allies to institutions of power in California and across the United States, striving to create a world that is healthy, just, and fully equal for all LGBTQ people. We advance civil rights and social justice by inspiring, advocating and mobilizing through an inclusive movement that works tirelessly on behalf of those we serve. www.eqca.org

Today, Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer Kahan (D-Orinda), in partnership with Equality California, introduced AB 493 that will include death certificates among the official documents with nonbinary options for gender identity.

The bill will expand on Senator Toni Atkins’s 2017 legislation, SB 179, which authorized nonbinary identification on birth certificates, court documents, and driver’s licenses. California is leading the nation in inclusive recognition of gender identities, and this bill continues and strengthens that work.

“Adding nonbinary as a gender option ensures nonbinary individuals’ right to equal treatment under the law, and is a needed step towards true inclusivity throughout our legal codes” said Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan. “Historically, US law has not recognized the many ways people experience gender. This causes serious pain and marginalization for nonbinary communities, with their existence denied on documents that identify them.”

It is essential to codify inclusive language to establish uniformity and parity across California’s legal system. Incorrectly assigning deceased nonbinary individuals a gender is disrespectful to their memories. Official erasure hurts grieving loved ones, as well as the larger nonbinary community.

“Affirming someone’s gender identity is just as important in death as it is in life,” said Equality California Executive Director Rick Chavez Zbur. “We owe it to our nonbinary community members — and their loved ones — to correctly recognize the gender identity of all Californians on their death certificates. Equality California applauds Assemblymember Bauer-Kahan for continuing the work started by Pro Tem Toni Atkins in 2017 to right this wrong.”

Nonbinary youth who reported their pronouns were not respected by those in their lives were twice as likely to attempt suicide as those whose correct pronouns were used. With suicide rates among nonbinary youth quadruple those of their peers, affirming language on death certificates is all the more essential.

This bill takes the precedent set by Senator Atkins in SB 179, as well as the current practices of using nonbinary-inclusive language and codifying it to bring code in line with California’s values, and ensures long-term protection of the nonbinary community’s civil rights.

AB 493 secures in code that nonbinary individuals are identified as such on their death certificates.

Coauthors of the bill include Assemblymembers Evan Low (D–San Jose), Alex Lee (D-Santa Clara), Sabrina Cervantes (D-Corona), Chris Ward (D-San Diego), David Chiu (San Francisco), Cristina Garcia (D- Bell Gardens), Mark Stone (D-Santa Cruz), Senate President pro Tempore Toni Atkins (D-San Diego), and Senators Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) Susan Talamantes-Eggman (D-Castro Valley) and John Laird (D-Santa Cruz).

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Equality California is the nation’s largest statewide LGBTQ+ civil rights organization. We bring the voices of LGBTQ+ people and allies to institutions of power in California and across the United States, striving to create a world that is healthy, just, and fully equal for all LGBTQ+ people. We advance civil rights and social justice by inspiring, advocating and mobilizing through an inclusive movement that works tirelessly on behalf of those we serve. www.eqca.org

Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) introduced SB 225: the Bodily Autonomy, Dignity and Choice Act, to provide children and their families a chance to make informed decisions about major surgeries to change variations in the appearance of genitalia and other sex characteristics. Under SB 225, these surgeries will be prohibited when a child is under the age of six (except in the cases where it is medically necessary), allowing for parents to continue to learn with their child and child’s physician regarding the potential need for medical interventions. SB 225 is cosponsored by Equality California, interACT: Advocates for Intersex Youth, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, and the ACLU of California.

One to two percent of people are born with variations in their genitalia and sex anatomy, some of whom identify as intersex. Parents of children with these variations are often offered medically unnecessary surgical interventions – such as major surgeries to cut a clitoris, create a vagina for penetrative sex, remove hormone-making organs, or move a working urinary opening – which are typically performed on children under two years old and often without a complete discussion of the various risks. These surgeries may result in extreme scarring, chronic pain, chronic incontinence, loss of sexual sensation, post-traumatic stress disorder, incorrect gender assignment, and the need for additional surgeries to treat complications from the original surgery. SB 225 will allow parents to make a decision, in consultation with their child and medical professionals, once a person is old enough to participate in decision making about whether or not a surgery to change sex anatomy is right for them. 

For every person, identity and sense of self — including gender — can evolve over a lifetime. But many of the procedures performed on infants with variations in their physical sex characteristics are permanent and irreversible. SB 225 will provide a way for families and children to have autonomy over decisions about their children’s bodies and their identities by delaying these surgeries until a child has reached six years old. Six is around the time when research shows that for many, gender identity has begun to form and take shape. The only way to know what an individual will want is to safely delay these non-emergency surgeries.

SB 225 will delay procedures to reduce the clitoris, create vaginas, and remove hormone-producing tissues often performed on infants – such as clitoroplasty, clitoral reduction, clitoral recession, gonadectomy, procedures to lengthen or reroute a urethra from its native orifice, vaginoplasty, urogenital sinus mobilization, and vaginal exteriorization. 

Many adults who underwent these surgeries as infants have expressed deep concern and anguish about the procedures. The intersex community is leading the movement to ensure that no matter what gender identity a person grows up to have, everyone born with unique sex anatomy should be able to play a role in major healthcare choices. Organizations such as the United Nations, Human Rights Watch and the World Health Organization agree that these surgeries can be harmful and should only be an option when the individual is able to participate in an informed decision. Many in the medical community agree: in 2020, two U.S. hospitals committed to stopping infant clitoral and vaginal surgeries, citing issues raised by intersex and human rights organizations.

“People should have the chance to make informed decisions about their own bodies instead of having those decisions made for them and without their input,” said Senator Scott Wiener.“This legislation gives children and their families more time to research and opt in or out of non-emergency surgeries to irreversibly change a child’s sex characteristics. We must provide people the ability to make important healthcare decisions for themselves – especially when healthcare decisions are associated with a person’s gender assignment, and can result in long-term pain, PTSD, depression, and a loss of sexual sensation. The intersex community is leading this movement, and I am proud to work with a broad coalition of LGBTQ, civil rights, and health advocates to get this legislation passed.”

“The LGBTQ+ community — and transgender, nonbinary and intersex folks in particular — have been fighting for decades to secure our rights to make decisions about our own bodies. That fight continues today,” said Equality California Executive Director Rick Chavez Zbur. “Children born with diverse physical sex traits and their parents should be able to participate in the critically important decision-making process regarding medically unnecessary and often irreversible surgical interventions. We are proud to stand with Senator Wiener and the intersex community in this important work to safeguard the human rights of all Californians.”

“Building on 15 years of advocacy work by interACT, we saw two premier children’s hospitals finally commit to stopping infant clitoral and vaginal surgeries in 2020. Now it’s California’s time to shine,” said Kimberly Zieselman, Executive Director of interACT: Advocates for Intersex Youth, herself an intersex woman. “SB 225 builds on SCR 110, California’s 2018 resolution that established the state’s commitments to equality and autonomy for people born with variations in their sex anatomy.”

Becca Cramer-Mowder, Legislative Coordinator and Advocate for the ACLU of California, said: “SB 225 gives California the opportunity to advance equality by protecting the physical and psychological well-being of children born with variations in their physical sex characteristics.”

“Current medical practice allows surgeons to conduct life-altering and medically unnecessary surgeries on infants with variations in their sex anatomy simply to address the anticipated discomfort of others rather than the child’s health and well-being,” said Shannan Wilber, Youth Policy Director at the National Center for Lesbian Rights. “These practices perpetuate gender stereotypes and may not reflect the child’s choices when they are old enough to participate in the decision. NCLR is honored to stand with the intersex community to support their autonomy and dignity.”

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Equality California is the nation’s largest statewide LGBTQ+ civil rights organization. We bring the voices of LGBTQ+ people and allies to institutions of power in California and across the United States, striving to create a world that is healthy, just, and fully equal for all LGBTQ+ people. We advance civil rights and social justice by inspiring, advocating and mobilizing through an inclusive movement that works tirelessly on behalf of those we serve. www.eqca.org

interACT: Advocates for Intersex Youth affects nearly every piece of policy that touches intersex issues in the United States. Committed to ending stigma against variations in genitalia and other sex anatomy, interACT has over 15 years of experience driving legal, legislative, media, and youth initiatives that elevate the voices of intersex people. Learn more or donate to our work at https://interactadvocates.org/

The National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) is a national legal organization committed to advancing the human and civil rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer community through litigation, public policy advocacy, and public education. Since its founding, NCLR has maintained a longstanding commitment to racial and economic justice and the LGBTQ community’s most vulnerable. http://www.nclrights.org

73% of Equality California members* have already voted, compared to 51% of registered voters statewide*. LGBTQ+ voters and their allies throughout the state are especially energized this year with so much at stake in this election for the LGBTQ+ community and the diverse communities to which LGBTQ+ people belong.

Equality California, the nation’s largest statewide LGBTQ+ civil rights organization, and aligned political action committees have contacted over 429,000 Equality California members registered to vote in the Golden State and more than 602,000 additional California voters identified as supporters of LGBTQ+ equality by mail, phone calls and nearly 211,000 text messages, urging them to support pro-equality candidates for federal, state and local offices, as well as statewide ballot measures endorsed by Equality California. Equality California Votes, an independent federal super PAC aligned with the civil rights organization, and Equality California Political Action Committee are running digital ads in key Congressional, state and local races, as well as general get-out-the-vote ads on the popular gay dating app Grindr in Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego Counties. Last month, Equality California Institute released a PSA encouraging voters to cast their ballots narrated by LGBTQ+ actor and advocate Billy Porter.

Equality California endorsed 161 candidates at the local, state and federal levels in 2020, including 44 openly LGBTQ+ candidates, who are among an historic wave of openly LGBTQ+ candidates running across the country. The organization and aligned state and federal political action committees have spent over $1.5 million in total to educate, energize and mobilize members and pro-equality voters in key races throughout the Golden State:

• Equality California Political Action Committee has spent over $1.1 million on direct mail, text messages, digital ads and paid phone calls supporting pro-equality candidates for state and local offices, including Sen. Scott Wiener in SD 11, Asm. Susan Talamantes Eggman in SD 5, Chad Mayes in AD 42, Chris Ward in AD 78, Asm. Todd Gloria, who is running for mayor of San Diego, and Christy Holstege, who is running for re-election to the Palm Springs City Council.
• Equality California Votes has reported spending over $130,000 on direct mail, text messages, digital ads and paid phone calls to turn out pro-equality voters in support of pro-equality candidates in the state’s battleground Congressional districts, including Christy Smith in CA-25, Ammar Campa-Najjar in CA-50, Rep. TJ Cox in CA-21, Rep. Gil Cisneros in CA-39, Rep. Harley Rouda in CA-48, Rep. Katie Porter in CA-45 and Rep. Josh Harder in CA-10.
• Equality California has spent over $200,000 educating members about pro-equality statewide ballot measures, including Propositions 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 and 25 — and opposing Proposition 20.

For a complete list of Equality California’s endorsed candidates, visit eqca.org/elections.

*As of 8:00am PST on November 2, 2020, Political Data Inc. early voter data shows 309,795 of the 425,798 Equality California members registered to vote in California have cast a ballot in the November 2020 general election. As of the same time, Political Data Inc.’s 2020 Ballots Returned Tracker shows 11,236,035 Californians of the 22,033,688 registered voters statewide have cast a ballot.

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Equality California is the nation’s largest statewide LGBTQ civil rights organization. We bring the voices of LGBTQ people and allies to institutions of power in California and across the United States, striving to create a world that is healthy, just, and fully equal for all LGBTQ people. We advance civil rights and social justice by inspiring, advocating and mobilizing through an inclusive movement that works tirelessly on behalf of those we serve. www.eqca.org

Equality California, the nation’s largest statewide LGBTQ+ civil rights organization, and Kipp Mueller, candidate for Senate District 21, condemned California Senator Scott Wilk (R-Santa Clarita) for a video in which Wilk mocked LGBTQ+ students and opposed pro-equality legislation. The video recently surfaced on social media and shows Wilk gesturing airquotes around the term gender identity, expressing his opposition to AB 1266 — a bill signed into law by Governor Brown in 2013 — which provided clear anti-discrimination protections to transgender students.

“Scott Wilk’s opposition to LGBTQ+ civil rights and social justice isn’t new, but this video is an especially shameful attack on LGBTQ+ children, who already face a disproportionate amount of discrimination and harassment at school,” said Equality California Executive Director Rick Chavez Zbur. “While Wilk opposes protections for LGBTQ+ students, Kipp Mueller — the son of a community college counselor for students with disabilities — will invest in our public schools and ensure that every student has a safe and supportive learning environment. The choice for voters in Senate District 21 is clear: we need Kipp Mueller fighting for us in Sacramento.”

“It is profoundly disappointing to see Scott Wilk shamelessly attack one of our most vulnerable communities — transgender and gender non-conforming youth — for his own political fodder,” said Kipp Mueller. “Scott Wilk owes it to the LGBTQ+ community and to all of those he represents to immediately apologize with sincerity and express his regret.”

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Equality California is the nation’s largest statewide LGBTQ+ civil rights organization. We bring the voices of LGBTQ+ people and allies to institutions of power in California and across the United States, striving to create a world that is healthy, just, and fully equal for all LGBTQ+ people. We advance civil rights and social justice by inspiring, advocating and mobilizing through an inclusive movement that works tirelessly on behalf of those we serve. www.eqca.org

Equality California and LGBTQ Victory Fund condemned San Diego mayoral candidate Barbara Bry for repeatedly refusing to denounce homophobic and false attacks on her openly gay opponent California Assemblymember Todd Gloria. The Assemblymember is now receiving threats of physical violence — including death threats — on social media. The threats are being investigated by the San Diego Police Department.

The threats come after a campaign by right-wing media and activists to spread lies about Senate Bill 145, which changes California law to give judges the same level of discretion when determining legal penalties for LGBTQ+ people as it does for straight people in certain crimes (USA Today fact checks the bill here). SB 145 was strongly supported by the California District Attorneys’ Association, the California Police Chiefs’ Association and the California Coalition Against Sexual Assault. The misinformation campaign has provoked a barrage of homophobic attacks against Gloria – including the death threats (seen here: 1, 2, 3).  Bry repeatedly refuses to condemn the homophobic nature of the misinformation campaign or the threats of violence against Gloria.

Among the most prominent right-wing media outlets promoting the falsehoods is KUSI. On Wednesday, the president of KUSI Michael Dean McKinnon, Sr., along with Martha McKinnon, each maxed out to Bry’s campaign.

“Just like Donald Trump refuses to condemn white supremacy, Barbara Bry is refusing to condemn homophobia,” said Equality California Executive Director Rick Chavez Zbur. “Barbara Bry’s willingness to lie about civil rights legislation supported by law enforcement and survivors’ advocates and to pander to far-right, anti-LGBTQ+ extremists says a lot about her character. San Diegans deserve a mayor who will unite the city and stand up to violent extremists. Barbara Bry has shown us repeatedly that she’s unwilling to be that mayor and unfit to lead America’s Finest City.”

“Barbara Bry is putting politics and self-interest before morality and leadership, emboldening the ugliest segments of our society by refusing to condemn homophobia and falsehoods,” said Mayor Annise Parker, President & CEO of LGBTQ Victory Fund. “Barbara is thriving on the mischaracterizations of Senate Bill 145 – which does nothing but equalize the legal implications between LGBTQ people and straight people – because she believes it will benefit her campaign. Her early condemnation of these lies from right-wing extremists would have defused the internet trolls now threatening Todd’s life.”

After Bry attempted to shift blame for her refusal to condemn anti-LGBTQ+ hate onto Assemblymembers Lorena Gonzalez and Tasha Boerner Horvath, the San Diego legislators pushed back:

“Please don’t try to justify your inability to distance yourself and denounce the support of hate-filled extremists like DeMaio & Gastelum & Trump’s SD Republican Party by in any way aligning yourself with my vote,” tweeted Gonzalez. “I fully support @ToddGloria & am disgusted by these alliances.”

“Homophobia doesn’t have a place in our politics, Barbara Bry,” tweeted Boerner Horvath. “These attacks on @ToddGloria are despicable. You should denounce them unequivocally, not make excuses for them.”

Todd Gloria will be the first openly LGBTQ+ person and first person of color elected mayor of San Diego if he wins in November.

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Equality California is the nation’s largest statewide LGBTQ civil rights organization. We bring the voices of LGBTQ people and allies to institutions of power in California and across the United States, striving to create a world that is healthy, just, and fully equal for all LGBTQ people. We advance civil rights and social justice by inspiring, advocating and mobilizing through an inclusive movement that works tirelessly on behalf of those we serve. www.eqca.org

LGBTQ Victory Fund works to change the face and voice of America’s politics and achieve equality for LGBTQ Americans by increasing the number of openly LGBTQ elected officials at all levels of government. victoryfund.org

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 145 on Friday evening, ending blatant discrimination against LGBTQ young people on California’s sex offender registry. Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) issued the following statement in response to the governor’s action:

“It’s appalling that in 2020, California continues to discriminate against LGBTQ people, by mandating that LGBTQ young people be placed on the sex offender registry in situations where straight people aren’t required to be placed on the registry. SB 145 simply ends that discrimination by treating LGBTQ young people the exact same way that straight young people have been treated since 1944. I am so grateful that Governor Newsom — one of the LGBTQ community’s strongest allies ever — once again has shown that he gets it and that he’s willing to support our community even when it’s hard. And the politics here are hard, with the massive Trump/QAnon/MAGA misinformation campaign against the legislation. The facts are clear: SB 145 simply ends anti-LGBTQ discrimination. Today, California took yet another step toward an equitable society.”

Equality California, which co-sponsored the bill with the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office, released the following statement from Executive Director Rick Chavez Zbur:

“We are incredibly grateful to Governor Newsom for his unyielding commitment to LGBTQ+ civil rights and social justice. Dr. King said, ‘The time is always right to do what is right.’ Signing SB 145 was the right thing to do. It was the right thing to do for LGBTQ+ young people, it was the right thing to do to keep our communities safe and it was the right thing to do for California. If we want a California for all, then we need a justice system that treats all Californians fairly and equally — regardless of who they are, what they look like or whom they love. That goal is at the core of SB 145. Thanks to Governor Newsom and Senator Wiener, California is one step closer to living up to our shared values of fairness, equality and justice for all.”

Senate Bill 145 ends California’s anti-LGTBQ discriminatory treatment of specific sex acts regarding sex offender registry law. Under longstanding California law (since 1944), if an adult has voluntary penile-vaginal intercourse with a minor aged 14, 15, 16, or 17 and is up to 10 years older than the minor, the offense is not automatically registrable. Rather, a judge has discretion whether or not to place the defendant on the sex offender registry depending on the facts of the case. By contrast, if the act is oral sex, anal sex or sexual penetration, the court must place the defendant on the sex offender registry regardless of the facts of the crime and even in cases where the prosecutor and judge do not want to place the defendant on the registry. This distinction in the law is irrational and discriminatory towards LGBTQ young people. For example, if a 19-year-old and 17-year-old couple have voluntary oral sex, the 19-year-old must be placed on the registry. But if it’s vaginal sex, the judge has discretion to place the older party on the registry or to keep them off. SB 145 ends this irrational distinction by treating all voluntary sex the same way that the law currently treats penile-vaginal intercourse.

SB 145 is co-sponsored by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office and Equality California, and is supported by both law enforcement (California District Attorneys Association and California Police Chiefs Association), as well as civil rights advocates, including the the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), the California Public Defenders Association, Children Now, the California Coalition Against Sexual Assault (CALCASA), Lambda Legal, and the National Center for Lesbian Rights.

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Equality California is the nation’s largest statewide LGBTQ civil rights organization. We bring the voices of LGBTQ people and allies to institutions of power in California and across the United States, striving to create a world that is healthy, just, and fully equal for all LGBTQ people. We advance civil rights and social justice by inspiring, advocating and mobilizing through an inclusive movement that works tirelessly on behalf of those we serve. www.eqca.org