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 […]

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 […]

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: […]

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 […]

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 […]

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, […]

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 […]

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, […]

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 […]

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. […]