Today, Equality California is proud to announce its endorsement of incumbents Gov. Jerry Brown for governor, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom for lieutenant governor, Attorney General Kamala Harris for attorney general, Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones for insurance commissioner and Superintendent Tom Torlakson for superintendent of public instruction. In addition, EQCA has endorsed former Speaker of the Assembly Bob Hertzberg for Senate District 18. They join a group of over 50 other candidates already endorsed by Equality California in the 2014 election cycle.

In his current term, Brown has governed California since 2011 and he has been a tremendously effective advocate for full equality throughout his long career. In 2012 he signed into law SB 1172, banning psychological abuse of minors in the guise of “conversion therapy,” and last year he signed the School Success and Opportunity Act, which gives all students, including transgender students, equal access to programs and facilities. Prior to serving as governor, Brown served as attorney general and declined to defend Proposition 8 both as attorney general and later as governor. Brown was recently honored with the Leadership Award at EQCA’s 2014 Sacramento Equality Awards.

“We are tremendously pleased to endorse Governor Brown for a fourth term as governor,” said John O’Connor, EQCA executive director. “His leadership has been critical to much of the progress we have made toward full equality in recent years, and we look forward to achieving even more with another four years of Governor Brown’s leadership.”

Newsom garnered national renown while mayor of San Francisco for his bold decision to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples in 2004. Since then, he has has used his leadership position to support policies that move equality forward for LGBT Californians, including universal health care, and citizen engagement, like his CaliforniaReportCard.org, which invites residents to grade California’s implementation of marriage for same-sex couples. Newsom was honored at the 2014 Sacramento Equality Awards with the Vanguard Award.

“Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom has built on his promise as an exceptional ally to LGBT Californians,” said O’Connor. “He has continually pushed the frontier of equality forward, and we are proud to endorse him for a second term as lieutenant governor.”

Harris has served as Attorney General since 2011, and has been a staunch advocate for full equality, including refusing to defend Prop. 8. While district attorney for San Francisco, she created a hate crimes unit, and convened a national conference to rebut the “gay-“ and “transgender panic” defense. This year, she is an official co-sponsor of Assemblymember Susan Bonilla’s AB 2501, which would curb the use of “gay-“ and “transgender panic” defenses in California. Last year, she was honored with the Vanguard in Leadership Award at the 2013 Los Angeles Equality Awards.

“Kamala Harris has had so many firsts — she’s the first woman, African American and Indian American to hold the office of Attorney General — and now it’s time for her to have a second term,” said O’Connor. “We couldn’t be prouder to endorse Kamala Harris for attorney general.”

Jones has served as Insurance Commissioner since 2010, and previously served as assemblymember for the 9th District. In 2011, prior to the restoration of the freedom to marry, Jones reformed insurance regulations so that low-income lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people were no longer excluded from discounts based on spousal language. He also championed groundbreaking regulations to enforce laws requiring gender nondiscrimination in insurance coverage, ensuring that transgender Californians are not denied access to health care simply because of their gender identity.

“Dave Jones has made compassion and equality a priority for insurance coverage in California,” said O’Connor. “We are proud to endorse him for another term.”

After serving in both the Assembly and the Senate, Torlakson has worked as superintendent for public instruction since 2011, and has overseen the implementation of the FAIR Education Act, which ended the exclusion of LGBT historical figures due to their sexual orientation or gender identity. Torlakson is a strong supporter of effective anti-bullying programs, and is currently implementing the School Success and Opportunity Act.

“As a former legislator, Tom Torlakson proved himself to be a staunch ally with his consistent 100-percent pro-equality voting record,” said O’Connor. “EQCA looks forward to working with our ally on implementing the FAIR Education Act and the School Success and Opportunity Act on behalf of LGBT students, who are our shared priority.”

Hertzberg is currently a partner at the law firm Mayer Brown LLP, and is a respected voice on environmental policy and government reform. From 1996 through 2002, he represented the 40th Assembly District, and served his final two years in the Assembly as Speaker. While there, he helped to secure passage of AB 537, the California Student Safety & Violence Prevention Act of 2000 by then-Assembly Member Sheila Kuehl, which provided crucial anti-harassment protections for LGBT students.

“Bob Hertzberg has been a longtime supporter of full equality for LGBT Californians, and we’re glad that he’s decided to return to public service,” said O’Connor. “We’re proud to endorse him for California Senate.”

The Equality California Political Action Committee endorses viable candidates running for statewide offices and the state legislature who have a proven track record of supporting equal rights and legal protections for LGBT Californians and who are committed to advancing these goals in their capacity as elected officials.

Equality California (EQCA) is the largest statewide lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender advocacy organization in California. For more than a decade, Equality California has strategically moved California from a state with extremely limited legal protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people to a state with some of the most comprehensive human rights protections in the nation. Equality California has partnered with legislators to successfully sponsor 96 pieces of pro-equality legislation. EQCA continues to advance equality through legislative advocacy, electoral work, public education and community empowerment. www.eqca.org

Equality California applauds CalPERS, the country’s largest public pension fund, for divesting from the Russian companies MegaFon and Mail.ru due to the companies’ links to the neo-Nazi “Occupy Pedophilia” vigilante group, which has posted videos of torture and assault of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Russians on a company-owned social media network.

“Californians raised their voices and CalPERS listened. We will not have our money supporting hate crimes against our LGBT brothers and sisters in Russia, and we are very glad to have made an impact on a global scale,” said John O’Connor, Equality California executive director. “This is a success that we can all be very proud of.”

In March, EQCA launched a petition in conjunction with the National Center for Lesbian Rights, urging the specific divestment from MegaFon and Mail.ru. Last year, EQCA co-sponsored Sen. Mark Leno’s resolution, SR 18, urging CalPERS to divest from Russian companies to oppose the anti-LGBT ‘propaganda’ law.

Equality California (EQCA) is the largest statewide lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender advocacy organization in California. For more than a decade, Equality California has strategically moved California from a state with extremely limited legal protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people to a state with some of the most comprehensive human rights protections in the nation. Equality California has partnered with legislators to successfully sponsor 96 pieces of pro-equality legislation. EQCA continues to advance equality through legislative advocacy, electoral work, public education and community empowerment. www.eqca.org

Attorney General Kamala D. Harris has become an official co-sponsor for AB 2501, a bill authored by Assemblymember Susan Bonilla and designed to curb the so-called “panic defense” by making it clear that a defendant’s discovery of a victim’s sexual orientation or gender identity is not sufficient provocation to reduce a charge of murder to manslaughter. Equality California is a sponsor of the bill.

“Getting Attorney General Kamala Harris to co-sponsor AB 2501 is an exciting sign that California is serious about curbing these bogus ‘panic’ defenses,” said John O’Connor, Equality California executive director. ”A victim’s sexual orientation or gender identity should never be used to excuse a crime against them, and we thank Assemblymember Bonilla and Attorney General Harris for their leadership on this issue.”

“As the state’s chief law enforcement officer and a career prosecutor, I’ve long viewed the panic defense as an injustice not only to our LGBT community, but to all Californians who rightly expect all victims to be treated equally under the law,” Attorney General Harris said. “This bill ensures that violent crimes cannot be excused by a defendant’s prejudice. I commend Assemblymember Bonilla for standing up on this serious issue.”

“With the strong support of Attorney General Kamala Harris to ban panic defenses in court, we are making it very clear that discrimination against people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender has no place in our justice system,” said Assemblymember Bonilla.

Currently, “heat of passion” and “sudden quarrel” defenses must be legally supported with evidence of provocation, and that provocation may include discovery of a victim’s sexual orientation or gender identity. Similar legislation was attempted in 2005 in the California Legislature but was substantially amended to only require the court to instruct the jury that their verdict should not be influenced by bias against a victim.

There have been several high-profile cases over the past ten years where panic defenses were used, including the murders of LGBT teens Gwen Araujo in Newark, California and Larry King in Oxnard, California.

Equality California (EQCA) is the largest statewide lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender advocacy organization in California. For more than a decade, Equality California has strategically moved California from a state with extremely limited legal protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people to a state with some of the most comprehensive human rights protections in the nation. Equality California has partnered with legislators to successfully sponsor 96 pieces of pro-equality legislation. EQCA continues to advance equality through legislative advocacy, electoral work, public education and community empowerment. www.eqca.org

Equality California, the largest statewide lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender advocacy organization in California, announced today that its executive director, John O’Connor, will step down in July following a successful, 18-month tenure leading EQCA through a period of extensive organizational transition. EQCA also announced that board member Rick Zbur, a senior partner with the law firm of Latham & Watkins and an LGBT and environmental advocate, has been unanimously elected as the organization’s new executive director.

“John has been an incredibly effective leader and the boards of directors of both Equality California and Equality California Institute are extremely grateful for his exceptional service to the LGBT community in our state,” said Andreas Meyer and Joyce Rowland, board presidents of EQCA and EQCA Institute respectively. “John has successfully guided EQCA through a period of significant transition, leading this important organization to greater stability and improved financial condition.”

During his tenure, O’Connor’s major accomplishments include developing new funding sources, reorganizing EQCA staff and consolidating the organization’s presence across the state, leading numerous legislative victories, elevating the visibility and funding of the EQCA Candidate PAC, partnering with board members in robust new board recruitment efforts statewide, and initiating new programming that did more to directly enroll uninsured LGBT people under the Affordable Care Act rollout than any other LGBT organization nationwide.

“I’m very proud and grateful to have had the opportunity to lead Equality California through this critical period in its history,” said O’Connor. “Having accomplished the key objectives I was brought on to address at EQCA, the organization is well positioned to move into its next chapter. Rick Zbur is a dynamic leader who will continue our work and advance EQCA’s mission of securing full and lasting equality for LGBT Californians.”

“It was a difficult decision to leave EQCA at this time to handle personal affairs,” O’Connor continued, “but I’m thrilled to be handing off the organization to such a capable leader.”

Zbur will succeed O’Connor as executive director later this summer. A graduate of Yale University and Harvard Law School, Zbur will retire from Latham & Watkins, one of the largest law firms in the world, and begin leading EQCA full-time on September 1.

“The boards are very pleased to welcome Rick, a respected and accomplished leader in the community, to the helm of EQCA,” said Meyer and Rowland. “Rick’s extensive experience working in advocacy and with nonprofit boards, coupled with his passion, intelligence and commitment to the work of achieving full equality for LGBT people, make him an excellent fit for the job. His appointment also ensures a smooth and effective transition for the organization.”

A father of three, Zbur grew up in a farming community in the Rio Grande Valley south of Albuquerque, New Mexico, where his mother, Erlinda Chavez Zbur and her family have lived for generations. A lifelong LGBT trailblazer, Zbur was Latham & Watkins’ first openly gay attorney and first openly gay partner. He took a leave of absence from the firm in January 1996 to run for Congress in California’s 38th Congressional District, where he became the first openly gay, non-incumbent to win a contested primary for U.S. Congress.

Zbur has served and will continue to serve as president and chair of the board of the California League of Conservation Voters, the political action arm of California’s environment community. He formerly served on the board of Lambda Legal and was a founding director and vice president at the Children Affected by AIDS Foundation.

“I’m thrilled to join Equality California and will build on the excellent foundation that John O’Connor created,” said Zbur. “My focus will be on the organization’s core mission of achieving full and lasting equality for LGBT people through smart and effective legislation, education and outreach, and building and expanding our community’s political power. A key to EQCA’s success will be to continue to strengthen our partnerships and alliances within and as a part of California’s emerging electorate.”

Top ranking elected officials reacted enthusiastically to the news of Zbur’s election.

“Since his historic run for Congress, Rick has been a tremendous advocate for the LGBT community, and a thoughtful and talented leader who knows how to build the coalitions that are crucial to advancing our movement,” said Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez. “We have made a great deal of progress, but we clearly have more work to do to ensure that every LGBT person in California is treated with dignity and respect, and I am absolutely confident that Rick will be an exemplary leader for EQCA who can focus on moving our movement forward. I also want to thank John O’Connor for his effective and dedicated service as executive director of EQCA. He has done a remarkable job in leading one of California’s preeminent LGBT rights organizations, and I am thankful for his service.”

“Rick is an LGBT trailblazer and true advocate for full equality,” said Speaker-Elect Toni Atkins. “I’m looking forward to working with EQCA under his leadership to continue advancing equality for LGBT Californians.”

“Rick is well known and respected among state and local leaders as a result of his leadership of one of California’s premier environmental organizations,” said Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom. “And he has the vision to ensure that EQCA continues to lead California to a state of full equality for LGBT people.”

EQCA also announced that Laurie Hasencamp has been appointed as interim chief operations officer to enable O’Connor to focus on key transition-related priorities. In 2012, Hasencamp served for 10 months as EQCA’s interim executive director and currently serves as board treasurer. She is a member of the Founder’s Council of The Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law and a former member of the Board of Directors of Lambda Legal.

Equality California (EQCA) is the largest statewide lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender advocacy organization in California. For more than a decade, Equality California has strategically moved California from a state with extremely limited legal protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people to a state with some of the most comprehensive human rights protections in the nation. Equality California has partnered with legislators to successfully sponsor 96 pieces of pro-equality legislation. EQCA continues to advance equality through legislative advocacy, electoral work, public education and community empowerment. www.eqca.org

Assemblymember Jimmy Gomez introduced AB 1951, sponsored by Equality California, to modernize birth certificates to accurately reflect the gender of a child’s parent or parents. The new birth certificates would allow each parent to identify as mother, father or parent.

“Birth certificates establish real rights and responsibilities, and it’s important to have them in sync with modern families,” said John O’Connor, executive director of Equality California. “Every child deserves a parent or parents who love them, and AB 1951 will give every child the dignity of respectfully and accurately representing them.”

“The definition of a family needs to be more flexible, and same-sex parents should not be discriminated against when filling out a birth certificate,” said Assemblymember Gomez. “Under AB 1951, same-sex parents will be able to accurately identify each parent as mother, father or parent.”

The current practice in completing a birth certificate limits the choices to birth mother and father, or to leave the father blank. Unfortunately, this practice forces same-sex parents to inaccurately place one partner’s name in the “father” or “mother” field.

AB 1951 would require the Department of Public Health to modify birth certificates to contain a line for the name of the parent of the child with boxes to choose “mother,” “father” or “parent,” allowing same-sex parents to accurately identify their relation to the child.

According to the 2010 Census, there are more than 15,000 same-sex couples with children in California, a number that is expected to grow dramatically after a Supreme Court decision returned the freedom to marry to California.

By being listed on a birth certificate, parentage is officially recognized by the state, and entails the duty to support and care for their children. It also allows parents to make decisions about their child’s education, healthcare, religion, recreation and etc.

Equality California (EQCA) is the largest statewide lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender advocacy organization in California. Over the past decade, Equality California has strategically moved California from a state with extremely limited legal protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people to a state with some of the most comprehensive human rights protections in the nation. Equality California has partnered with legislators to successfully sponsor 96 pieces of pro-equality legislation. EQCA continues to advance equality through legislative advocacy, electoral work, public education and community empowerment. www.eqca.org

Today, the Support All Students campaign — including a broad coalition of nearly 100 state and national organizations backing California’s law that ensures all school children have a fair chance to do well — applauds the California School Boards Association’s new model policy to help districts comply with the law.

The model policy released today lays the foundation for California’s 1,043 school districts to ensure that all children — including those who are transgender — have fair opportunities to do well in school following the January 1 start of the new School Success and Opportunity Act, also known as Assembly Bill 1266.

The policy will help students like Zoey, a 12-year-old transgender girl from the Los Angeles area who transferred out of her school after administrators there refused to acknowledge her as a girl or allow her to use the girls’ restroom. Her mom, Ofelia Barba, says that the law makes it easier for her daughter to go to school and be herself.

“I love my daughter and want the same things for her that other parents want for their children,” Barba said. “I want what’s best for her, for her to be happy and for her to be able to do well in school. No one wants to see any kid singled out and excluded from school because of who they are.”

The supporters include the Transgender Law Center, National Center for Lesbian Rights, ACLU of California, Gay-Straight Alliance Network, Equality California, Gender Spectrum, LGBT organizations, racial justice organizations, statewide teacher and parent organizations, and others committed to ensuring that all kids have the opportunity to do well in school and graduate.

“We applaud the California School Boards Association for developing a model policy that ensures that transgender kids have the same opportunities to do well in school and graduate as all other students,” said Transgender Law Center Executive Director and Campaign Chair Masen Davis. “This law is about doing what’s best for all students — that’s why it’s supported by school boards, teachers and the PTA.”

According to the CSBA policy, “Pursuant to Education Code 221.5, as amended by AB 1266 (Ch. 85, Statutes of 2013), a district is required to permit a student to use facilities and participate in sex-segregated school programs and activities consistent with the student’s gender identity, regardless of the gender listed on his/her educational records. However, an attempt is currently in progress to qualify a referendum on AB 1266 for the November 2014 ballot. Even as the eventual outcome is unknown as of this writing, the following guidelines are designed to implement other existing state and federal laws that prohibit discrimination, harassment, intimidation and bullying against students based on their real or perceived gender identity and/or gender expression regardless of whether or not the referendum attempt is successful. The guidelines address certain issues and circumstances that may arise in relation to the needs of transgender and gender-nonconforming students and are by no means exhaustive. Consequently, each instance or situation should be addressed on a case-by-case basis to ensure that the safety, privacy and other concerns of all students involved are appropriately addressed.”

Learn more about the law at www.SupportAllStudents.org

Equality California (EQCA) is the largest statewide lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender advocacy organization in California. Over the past decade, Equality California has strategically moved California from a state with extremely limited legal protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people to a state with some of the most comprehensive human rights protections in the nation. Equality California has partnered with legislators to successfully sponsor more than 90 pieces of pro-equality legislation. EQCA continues to advance equality through legislative advocacy, electoral work, public education and community empowerment. www.eqca.org

Transgender students and their families are celebrating Californiaâs new School Success and Opportunity Act, which ensures that schools across the state understand their obligation to provide a fair opportunity for transgender students to participate in all school programs and to graduate with their peers. The law went into effect on January 1st.

The new law has been welcomed by school officials, teachers, and parents for educating California schools about meeting the educational needs of these students and their families, who often face daunting challenges that can prevent them from graduating when schools exclude them from activities and programs. The same extreme anti-LGBT groups that sponsored Proposition 8 have criticized this law, but have had trouble gathering sufficient signatures from the public to support a referendum on it.

ãFor the first time in my life, Iâm hopeful÷not only for myself, but for every other student like me across the state who will no longer need to fear obstacles standing in the way of their success,ä said Ashton Lee, a student from Manteca, CA. ãThis new law means so much, but more than anything, it means I can now see a future for myself.ä

Both state and federal law already prohibit discrimination against transgender students, and many schools districts, including San Rafael and Los Angeles, have had supportive policies for transgender students in place for years. But before the School Success and Opportunity Act was enacted, many schools did not understand their legal obligations to support these students. Too often, transgender students were unfairly excluded from school programs and activities and, in some cases, unable to obtain the credits they needed to graduate.

Added Ashtonâs mother Catherine Lee: ãMost parents donât know what itâs like to constantly worry that their child is being kept away from opportunities to excel in school or that bad experiences will have lasting effects. Iâm excited for this law because it gives all students a fair chance to succeed.ä
The new law has already had a significant impact. Since it was enacted last year, several school districts have already adopted new policies to protect transgender students, and the California School Board Association has encouraged all school districts to do so.

“In my experience, supporting transgender students based on their gender identity, including allowing them to use facilities or participate in activities, is just another way that schools work to ensure all students can be successful,ä said Sara Stone, a principal at Oakland Unified School District. ãThis is not an issue that other students are bothered about, and is one that makes a tremendous difference for the transgender students we serve.”

“All students deserve to be fully included in every aspect of the school experience,” said EQCA Executive Director John O’Connor. “The elimination of confusion about the law will now lead to greater participation and enrichment by all students, regardless of gender identity or expression.”

The School Success and Opportunity Act was signed by Governor Jerry Brown in 2013 and is supported by the Support All Students coalition, including Equality California, Transgender Law Center, GSA Network, National Center for Lesbian Rights, the ACLU of California, Gender Spectrum and many others. To learn more, please visit www.SupportAllStudents.org.