On behalf of the undersigned organizations, we are writing in support of AB 3031 (Lee and Low), which will establish a statewide LGBTQ+ Commission that represents California’s diverse LGBTQ+ community and shines a light on the unique challenges that LGBTQ+ people face. The Commission will play an important role in formulating statewide policy impacting all LGBTQ+ people, including assessing and monitoring programs and legislation designed to remove systemic barriers.
California in recent years has become a national leader in the fight for LGBTQ+ civil rights, passing laws that protect access to gender-affirming care, expand inclusive education, and ensure that major statewide anti-discrimination protections cover sexual orientation and gender identity. But despite California coming a long way in the fight for full, lived equality for LGBTQ+ people, our state is not immune to the wave of anti-LGBTQ+ hate, violence, and extremism sweeping the country.
Hate crimes and violence against LGBTQ+ people are on the rise, with 29% more hate incidents motivated by sexual orientation bias and 55% more hate crimes motivated by anti-transgender or anti-gender nonconforming bias between 2021 and 2022. Local school boards are also moving to reverse hard-fought civil rights protections for the LGBTQ+ community, including imposing ‘forced outing’ policies for LGBTQ+ students and banning LGBTQ+-inclusive curriculum. Nationally, over 500 anti-LGBTQ+ bills were introduced in 2023 in more than 40 states, with 84 of them being signed into law. Nearly 500 anti-LGBTQ+ bills were introduced across the nation within the first three months of 2024 alone.
AB 3031 is an important step that empowers the LGBTQ+ community with independent representation to advise the Governor and Legislature on policy and regulation, identify statewide needs, and help lawmakers in implementing supportive policies and programs. The Commission will be an important demonstration of California’s commitment to being a civil rights leader and will help ensure that the voices of the most vulnerable members in our community are heard at the highest levels of government. For these reasons and more, we are proud to support AB 3031 and respectfully urge your “AYE” vote when it is heard in the Senate Judiciary Committee.
SB 1491
SB 1491 improves campus climate for LGBTQ+ students, faculty, and staff at public colleges and universities by requiring each campus to have an LGBTQ+ liaison and notifying students if a school claims a religious exemption to federal non-discrimination protections.
SB 957
SB 957 enacts recommendations from last year’s state audit to close loopholes in existing law and ensure that the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) is collecting and reporting data on sexual orientation, gender identity, and intersexuality (SOGI) to improve LGBTQ+ health outcomes.
