“The mailer supporting Young Kim blatantly lies about the law and scapegoats lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender kids. Throughout this campaign, Kim has engaged in the same dishonest tactics in an attempt to win votes,” said Rick Zbur, executive director of Equality California. “As a mother and former teacher, Assemblymember Sharon Quirk-Silva has been a staunch advocate for all students, including LGBT students, getting a fair shot to succeed.”

The mailer, which repeats lies about the School Success and Opportunity Act, or AB 1266, arrived in mailboxes this week. The law, which went into effect on Jan. 1, 2014, provides guidance to schools so they can make sure that transgender students, like all students, have the opportunity to do well in school and graduate.

Schools work to meet the needs of all students, and this law is based on policies and practices that are already working well in school districts across California. The law gives guidelines for schools to do what’s best for all students and to work with students and families on a case-by-case basis. That’s why it’s supported by school boards, teachers and the PTA.

Kim has made other false claims about AB 1266, including that it has been a burden on local schools. As reported by the Orange County Register, three of Orange County’s largest unified school districts — Santa Ana, Capistrano and Garden Grove — are already implementing the law and have not reported any concerns regarding implementation. AB 1266 was based on guidelines implemented by California’s two largest school districts for more than a decade with no reported incidents.

Throughout this campaign, Young Kim has attempted to use LGBT youth as a wedge issue in the community. She recently stated that laws protecting LGBT youth don’t “represent the values of the community.”

Equality California is California’s largest statewide lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization focused on creating a fair and just society. Our mission is to achieve and maintain full and lasting equality, acceptance, and social justice for all people in our diverse LGBT communities, inside and outside of California. Our mission includes advancing the health and well being of LGBT Californians through direct healthcare service advocacy and education. Through electoral, advocacy, education and mobilization programs, we strive to create a broad and diverse alliance of LGBT people, educators, government officials, communities of color and faith, labor, business, and social justice communities to achieve our goals. www.eqca.org