State

Together with a group of other labor, civil rights and service provider organizations, Equality California has submitted an amicus brief asking the U.S. Supreme Court to grant certiorari in a case seeking to lift a federal injunction blocking implementation of programs awarding temporary legal residency status to limited classes of undocumented immigrants. The programs, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Deferred Action for Parents of Americans (DAPA), would give between four and five-million undocumented immigrants an opportunity to apply for a permit to temporarily avoid deportation.  President Obama announced an expansion of the programs last year, prompting a lawsuit by the […]

  Daniel Kaufman, 42, of Rialto, who ran the coffee shop in building 3 at the Inland Regional Center, is among those who were killed in Wednesday’s shootings, according to social media posts and news media. “I am sad to report that Daniel has been positively identified as one of the fatalities at the scene,” Ryan Reyes, Kaufman’s boyfriend, posted on Facebook. “Thank you all for your love and support. I love you Daniel, and I will forever miss you.” Reyes told the Los Angeles Times that he dropped Kaufman at work Wednesday’s morning and they exchanged text messages. Reyes, […]

Equality California announced today that it has made endorsements in four of its priority races for the California Legislature – San Francisco Supervisor Scott Wiener for Senate District 11 (San Francisco), Bryan Urias for Assembly District 48 (West Covina), Sabrina Cervantes for Assembly District 60 (Corona) and former Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva for Assembly District 65 (Fullerton). “This coming election year is especially important to the LGBT community, as several members of the LGBT legislative caucus are terming out,” said Rick Zbur, executive director of Equality California.  “The current slate of EQCA endorsees will help us to maintain a strong LGBT […]

  Blasting aboard space shuttle Challenger in 1983 to become the first American woman—and at age 32, the youngest American in space—the late Sally Ride captured the nation’s imagination by breaking barriers. Her legacy also includes inspiring generations of students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) through Sally Ride Science, a science education company she co-founded in 2001. In a partnership agreement announced by the University of California, San Diego, future generations—especially girls and historically underrepresented K-12 students—will be motivated to continue with STEM in school and beyond through Sally Ride Science at UC San Diego. The newly […]

  Jonathan Crutchley, founding partner and owner of the world’s largest gay brands that includes Manhunt and Jack’d, has joined the advisory board of The National Coalition of Rent Boys & Allies, an organization advocating for the legal rights of male escort workers.  The group formed in response to the Aug. 25 raid on Rentboy.com in New York City by the NYPD and Homeland Security. “It is no business of the government at any level— be it federal, state, or local— to enter the bedrooms of consenting adults and tell them what they may or may not do within that […]

Legislation authored by Sen. Mark Leno that provides new protections for transgender foster youth in California was signed into law Saturday by Gov. Jerry Brown. Senate Bill 731 ensures that all foster youth, including those who identify as transgender, are placed in appropriate homes where they feel safe and accepted. It requires caregivers tasked with placing foster youth in homes to take a young person’s gender identity into consideration when making this critical decision. “Young people have a better opportunity to thrive in situations where they are fully accepted and supported for who they are,” said Sen. Leno, D-San Francisco. […]