State

The California Legislature Wednesday passed a bipartisan resolution by California Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de León (D-Los Angeles) and Assembly Republican Leader Chad Mayes (R-Yucca Valley) calling for an end to federal blood donation policies that discriminate against men who have sex with men (MSM). Senate Joint Resolution (SJR) 26 calls upon President Barack Obama to compel the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to repeal current Food and Drug Administration (FDA) blood donor policies that discriminate against LGBT people, and instead direct the agency to develop science-based policies that utilize individual behavioral risk. SJR 26 is sponsored […]

Human trafficking legislation by California State Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego) that would create minimum penalties for those attempting to purchase sex was approved by the Assembly Tuesday on a unanimous 63-0 vote. It will now be submitted to the Governor. Under Assembly Bill 1708, California would, for the first time, treat the purchasing and selling of sex as different crimes, allowing for different penalties. This fundamental change allows a wide range of changes to be made which both improve protections for trafficking victims and create stronger deterrents for purchasers who sustain the market for sex trafficking. AB 1708 would also create minimum penalties […]

The California Legislature has passed AJR 45, a resolution authored by Asm. David Chiu (D-San Francisco) and sponsored by Equality California, calling on Congress to pass the federal Equality Act. The Equality Act updates the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to include protections based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex in the areas of employment, housing, public accommodations, public education, federal funding, credit, and the jury system. With bipartisan support, the resolution was approved in the Senate yesterday and approved in the Assembly today on concurrence. AJR 45 is now adopted. “When more than 200 pieces of anti-LGBT legislation […]

The California Assembly late yesterday approved a bill that would require the adoption of comprehensive suicide prevention plans by local California school districts for students attending grades 7-12. Assembly Bill (AB) 2246 was previously approved by the Senate and now goes to Governor Jerry Brown for his signature. The bill was authored by Assemblymember Patrick O’Donnell (D-Long Beach) and sponsored by Equality California and The Trevor Project. “As classroom teacher, I know from experience that educators often serve as the first line of defense when a student is suffering from depression or suicidal thoughts,” said Assemblymember O’Donnell, Chair of the […]

Campus Pride today releases its 2016 “Shame List,” highlighting for the first time a national list of “The Absolute Worst Campuses for LGBTQ Youth.”  The national listing includes 102 campuses that openly discriminate against LGBTQ youth in policies, programs and practices as documented on the site listing.   Find the detailed list online at CampusPride.org/ShameList “Most people are shocked when they learn that there are college campuses still today that openly discriminate against LGBTQ youth. It is an unspoken secret in higher education, how they use religion as a tool for cowardice and discrimination,” said Shane Windmeyer, Executive Director of Campus […]

Assembly Bill 2349 by Assemblymember David Chiu (D-San Francisco) Monday passed the Assembly on concurrence and now heads to the desk of Governor Jerry Brown. This measure would protect parents of children conceived through surrogacy in California – including many same-sex couples who rely on reproductive assistance to form their families – from having their rights violated outside the state. AB 2349 would clarify that California’s Superior Courts have jurisdiction over parentage cases arising from gestational surrogacy arrangements. This bill would also make clear that when intended parents are using donated gametes (eggs and/or sperm), the names of these donors […]

Equality California announced today that it has endorsed Proposition 63, the “Safety for All” ballot initiative backed by Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom. Following the shootings in June at an Orlando LGBT nightclub, a spike in homicides of LGBT people and an ongoing worldwide epidemic of murders of transgender women, Equality California has made enacting gun safety measures a key part of its program and advocacy work. Orlando was a call to action and a reminder that ending gun violence must be a top priority for the LGBT community,” said Rick Zbur, executive director of Equality California. “But even before Orlando, […]

  Lorena Gonzalez The Senate Committee Appropriations forwarded 10 bills authored by California State Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego) to the full State Senate, advancing her efforts to bolster the earning power of working families and protect their public safety, regardless of immigration status. The Senate’s committee on fiscal issues released from its suspense file bills that would make diapers more affordable for young families, provide California’s 400,000 farmworkers overtime after an 8-hour workday, require restaurant servers and bartenders undergo drunk driving prevention trainings, crack down on human trafficking by increasing penalties for purchasers of sex, eliminate gender bias in […]

The California Senate Thursday day passed a bipartisan resolution by California Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de León (D-Los Angeles) and Assembly Republican Leader Chad Mayes (R-Yucca Valley) calling for an end to federal blood donation policies that discriminate against men who have sex with men (MSM). Senate Joint Resolution (SJR) 26 calls upon President Barack Obama to compel the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to repeal current Food and Drug Administration (FDA) blood donor policies that discriminate against LGBT people and instead direct the agency to develop science-based policies that utilize individual behavioral risk. SJR 26 is […]

Equality California today announced the endorsements of 10 strong pro-equality candidates for Congress, the California Assembly and local offices throughout the state. “LGBT equality depends heavily on the people we send to represent us at every level of government,” said Rick Zbur, executive director of Equality California. “Each of our endorsed candidates has a long history of supporting the LGBT community, and we know they will be staunch advocates for us in Washington, DC, in Sacramento and across California.” The candidates are as follows: U.S. Congress: Bao Nguyen (CD 46) – As the current, openly gay mayor of Garden Grove, […]