News

The Equal Protection for All Families Act, authored by Assemblymember David Chiu and co-sponsored by Equality California, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, and Our Family Coalition, passed the California Assembly yesterday with unanimous support. The bill updates California assisted reproduction laws to help ensure that all families are protected equally under California law. AB 960, the Equal Protection For All Families Act, updates the state’s assisted reproduction laws to ensure all couples using assisted reproduction are fully recognized as parents as intended. Specifically, AB 960 would allow unmarried people using assisted reproduction to be fully recognized as parents on […]

On May 14, AJR 16, authored by Assemblymembers Richard Bloom, Eduardo Garcia and Evan Low and sponsored by Equality California, was introduced in the State Assembly in response to the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) new blood donor guidelines that continue to discriminate against gay and bisexual men. The new proposed FDA guidelines would continue to prohibit blood donation from all sexually active gay and bisexual men. Specifically, all men who have had sex with another man within the past 12 months would be prohibited from donating blood. The resolution calls on President Barack Obama to encourage the Secretary of […]

Yesterday, AB 960, authored by Assemblymember David Chiu (D—San Francisco) and co-sponsored by Equality California, passed out of the Assembly Judiciary Committee. The committee voted unanimously to pass the bill, which now moves to the Assembly Floor for a vote at the end of May. The bill would update California’s assisted reproduction laws to help ensure that all families are equally protected by law. AB 960, the Equal Protection For All Families Act, co-sponsored by Equality California, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, and Our Family Coalition, ensures all couples using assisted reproduction are fully recognized as parents as intended. […]

The Assembly Accountability and Administrative Review Committee on April 30 voted with bi-partisan support to pass Assemblymember David Chiu’s Assembly Bill 959, a bill that would move California public policy closer towards meeting the needs of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) communities. “Excluding LGBT communities from statewide collected data keeps these individuals and the health disparities they face invisible to the state,” said Assemblymember David Chiu. “AB 959 will ensure that our LGBT communities count.” AB 959, the LGBT Disparities Reduction Act, is sponsored by Equality California (EQCA) and requires specified state agencies relating to health and well-being […]

On April 22, AB 827, authored by Assemblymember Patrick O’Donnell (D-Long Beach) and sponsored by Equality California, passed out of the Assembly Education Committee with a 6 to 1 vote. The bill would provide more support and a safer learning environment for LGBT students by requiring that schools provide annual training to teachers on various resources available to support LGBT students both at school and in the local community. “Equality California sponsored AB 827, which is authored by Assemblymember O’Donnell, because this legislation will enable teachers and school administrators to foster a supportive school environment for all students, including lesbian, […]

Equality California, California’s largest statewide lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization, released the following statement from Rick Zbur, executive director for Equality California, on President Obama’s call for an end to conversion therapy. “Equality California applauds and commends President Obama for his statement calling for an end to ‘conversion therapy,’ the damaging psychological abuse practiced by some mental health professionals who falsely claim that they can change a person’s sexual orientation or gender expression” said Equality California executive director Rick Zbur. “The nation’s leading mental health associations, including the American Psychiatric Association, the American Psychological Association, and the […]