California Legislature condemns anti-LGBT violence in Chechnya

SACRAMENTO, Calif. —The California State Legislature adopted Assembly Joint Resolution 16 Monday  urging President Trump and Congress to condemn the government-sanctioned persecution, torture, and murder of gay men in the Chechen Republic. More than 100 gay or suspected-gay men have been held and tortured in the region. AJR 16 is a bipartisan measure authored by…

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California Legislature passes ‘All-Gender’ Restroom Bill

SACRAMENTO, Calif.–The California Legislature passed a bill Monday that would establish the nation’s most inclusive restroom access law. Assembly Bill (AB) 1732 was authored by Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) and sponsored by Equality California, the Transgender Law Center and California National Organization of Women (NOW).  If signed into law, the bill would require single-occupancy…

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California Legislature approves bill allowing donation of HIV-positive organs

SACRAMENTO — The California legislature today passed a bill that would allow organ transplants between HIV-positive donors and HIV-positive recipients.  Senate Bill (SB) 1408, authored by Sen. Ben Allen (D-Santa Monica) and co-sponsored by Equality California, AIDS Project Los Angeles, the Los Angeles LGBT Center, and Positive Women’s Network-USA, would bring state law in line…

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Assemblywoman Susan Bonilla successfully lobbies California legislature against ‘panic defense’

According to a press release from Assemblywoman Susan A. Bonilla’s office, a measure, AB 2501, was approved yesterday by the Assembly Public Safety committee. This bill ensures that criminal defendants cannot use the so-called “panic defense” claim in an attempt to lower a charge from murder to manslaughter, or to escape conviction all together. “It…

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