State

  California officials in charge of workplace safety voted down a proposal Thursday that would have put condoms on porn actors, heeding the call of scores of industry officials who said doing so would force them to make films nobody would watch. The state Division of Occupational Safety and Health’s Standards Board voted the measure down when only three members supported it, Cal/Osha spokeswoman Julia Bernstein said. Four yes votes from the seven-member board were required for passage. The vote was 3-2 in favor, with one member absent and one board position currently open. The board will now begin considering […]

Equality California (EQCA) is sponsoring two bills authored by Assemblymember Evan Low (D-Silicon Valley) that would prohibit the use of state funds to support entities that allow discrimination by creating exemptions based on religious beliefs. “I’m proud to be a voice for the LGBT community throughout the state and across the country,” Low said. “The Golden State has always been a leader in protecting civil rights and preventing discrimination. Our zero-tolerance policy says there is no room for discrimination of any kind in California, and will certainly not be tolerated beyond our borders,” he added. In California, laws such as […]

Equality California announced Friday that it is sponsoring legislation, authored by Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), that would establish the nation’s most progressive restroom access law.  AB 1732, the Equal Restroom Access Act, would require single-occupancy restrooms in California businesses, government buildings, and public spaces to be identified as “all gender.” “Restrooms are a necessity of life.  Access to them influences our ability to participate in public life,” said Ting.  “Signs restricting single-use restroom access by gender create problems of convenience, fairness, and safety.  They defy common sense, which is why many of us ignore them.  ‘All gender’ signs will […]

Equality California today announced the endorsements of 48 members of the California Senate and Assembly for reelection in the 2016 election cycle. In order to earn Equality California’s endorsement for reelection, members of the legislature must earn a perfect 100 percent Equality Score on the organization’s Legislative Scorecard, which tracks their votes on priority legislation that advances lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights, and that addresses the disparities in health and wellbeing faced by the LGBT community. “Because LGBT Californians face huge disparities in health and well being compared to the general public, there is much work ahead and […]

Equality California today announced the endorsements of 48 incumbent candidates for reelection to the California Senate and Assembly for the 2016 election cycle.“As we move forward with addressing the disparities still facing LGBT Californians in so many areas, our legislative partners are more important to us than ever,” said Equality California Executive Director Rick Zbur. “Today we are announcing Equality California’s endorsements of members of the state legislature who are up for reelection in 2016.  Our partnership with legislators is key to advancing equality and social justice for LGBT people and all the communities of which we’re part.  Our endorsed […]

Implications of the California drought, anti-poverty best practices for San Diego, President Obama’s executive action on curbing gun violence and the conflict between religious freedoms and LGBT rights are chief among local legal issues that will be explored at the 2016 American Bar Association (ABA) Midyear Meeting Feb. 3-8 in San Diego. Local and regional high-profile speakers at the meeting, including Drought Liaison Debbie Davis-Franco of the California Governor’s Office, Mike Feuer of the L.A.-based Prosecutors Against Gun Violence and Jennifer Pizer, a co-counsel in the legal challenge to California’s Prop. 8 and law and policy project director for Lambda […]

The National AIDS Memorial Grove has awarded six outstanding undergraduate students each with a Pedro Zamora Young Leaders Scholarship for their commitment to active roles of public service and leadership in the fight against HIV/AIDS. The Pedro Zamora Young Leaders Scholarship, named in honor of AIDS educator, activist and reality television pioneer Pedro Zamora, who passed away more than twenty years ago from an AIDS-related illness, has helped support the education of young people who today are engaged in a variety of HIV-related work in their schools, communities and chosen academic fields.  The scholarship program began in 2009 and is […]

  Santa Clara County, the most populous county in the San Francisco Bay Area region, and one of the most affluent counties in the United States has filled two full-time positions for its newly-created Office of LGBTQ Affairs. The county is only the third local government agency—and the first county in the nation—to have an office exclusively dedicated to serving the LGBTQ community. The new staff include Maribel Martinez for the position of manager and Ashley Scarborough for the position of management analyst. Both will assume their new roles Jan. 19. “The establishment of the Office of LGBTQ Affairs marks […]