After a series of legislative and judicial Marriage Equality victories, major anti-LGBT organizations have redirected their efforts away from marriage equality and toward attacking the rights of transgender people. These attacks follow California’s passage of Assembly Bill 1266, the School Success and Opportunity Act. The bill guarantees transgender students equal access to restrooms, locker rooms, and sports teams that corresponds with the student’s gender identity. Since August, transphobic organizations, like the National Organization for Marriage, the Capitol Resource Center and the Pacific Justice Institute, have launched an all-out public smear campaign against transgender students, lying to the public to get signatures in an effort to remove the rights so long denied to trans folk.
Monday Feb. 24 is a “Day of Decision” for AB 1266, the day when the fate of this historic law will be revealed. Its fate depends on how many signatures are deemed valid by the State of California. If enough signatures-more than 504,000-are verified, then the repeal of the School Success and Opportunity Act will be on the November 2014 ballot. However, if the number of signatures falls short of this threshold, then it will signal a victory for the LGBTQIA community, as the law will remain intact and ensure transgender students the rights they have so long been denied.
On this Day of Decision, San Diego LGBTQ rights organizations Canvass for a Cause, SAME Alliance, and Black and Pink – San Diego will hold a Day of Decision Rally to Defend Trans* Rights! at 6th Avenue and University Avenue in Hillcrest at 5:30 p.m. The rally will serve as a call to action and will feature speakers from the trans* community. People are encouraged to bring signs and flags and to wear pink, blue and/or white in solidarity with the trans* community.
“History shows us that if the referendum fails, an initiative or legal battle over this bill is sure to follow. We want to open dialogue and inspire action with as many people as possible before the well-funded anti-LGBT groups flood our TV screens with false information about trans* youth,” said Suhaila Love, communications representative with Canvass for a Cause. “The tactics of the opposition are so extreme that already a transgender teen in Colorado was bullied to the point of suicide watch by these groups. So we know that even if we are successful, that this movement is not over and that transphobia has not been eradicated. Houselessness, lack of access to housing, jobs and healthcare, education discrimination and much more still face our community. So no matter what, we’re not going to be silent any time soon.”
Since December of last year, Canvass for a Cause activists have engaged more than 10,000 members of the public in face-to-face conversations about transgender students and the importance of this bill, in preparation for a potential vote in November. Multiple events have been held throughout this process, including rallies, phonebanks, and school presentations, and, regardless of the outcome, many more events in support of trans* issues are planned for the future.
This event is wheelchair accessible and dis-ability affirmative. If you need additional accommodations, please contact field@canvassforacause.org or 619-630-7750 72 hours prior to the event.
