Gov. Jerry Brown made history yesterday as he announced the appointment of the first openly gay justice in the state’s history. Jim Humes, a 53-year-old gay man from San Francisco, will serve as associate justice of the First District Court of Appeal, Division Four. Humes has served as executive secretary for legal affairs, administration and…
From an LGB, but especially T perspective, there are three pieces of legislation that have been of interest to me, as well as Equality California (EQCA) and/or the Transgender Law Center (TLC). The first is SB 1172, Limiting Sexual Orientation Conversion “Treatment” Act. According to Gov. Jerry Brown in his signing statement, “This bill bans…
Gov. Jerry Brown has signed Senate Bill 1140 (Religious Freedom in Marriage Solemnization), authored by Sen. Mark Leno and co-sponsored by Equality California and California Council of Churches IMPACT. The new law, which will go into effect Jan. 1, 2013, reaffirms the freedom of clergy to make faith-based decisions regarding which marriages they solemnize and…
WASHINGTON – Human Rights Campaign (HRC) president, Chad Griffin, has sent a letter to California Gov. Jerry Brown urging him to support SB 1172, a bill prohibiting therapists from harming youth by subjecting them to dangerous efforts that purport to change one’s sexual orientation. “It is time to safeguard the most vulnerable among us by…
SAN FRANCISCO – The California state Senate have voted 34-1 to approve AB 1700, which remedies unequal treatment in the tax code that would protect lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender seniors at significant financial disadvantage from unfair tax increases that may result in the loss of their homes after the death of a partner. The…
Fighting for every life threatened by cancer – in every community Dear Editor, In recognition of June 2012 being LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) Pride month, Gov. Jerry Brown recently noted that “California has been a leader in advancing the rights of its LGBT citizens.” The California Division of the American Cancer Society is…
The Mayor’s Race For what will likely be San Diego LGBT Weekly’s final mayoral Q&A, Nathan Fletcher came to our offices in Banker’s Hill to be interviewed on vital topics ranging from the local economy to the city’s wide array of social issues. Fletcher had a one-word answer to the big question: “Do you support…
Hundreds of California Republicans gathered Sunday at the San Francisco Airport Hotel for the general session of the California Republican Party’s (CRP) Spring Convention. The agenda included the ratification of the Party’s platform, and of particular interest to the LGBT community was language regarding education, marriage, and family. While the newly revised platform has not…
Gov. Jerry Brown and San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders are a part of a larger network of local and state officials who are urging the federal government to pass the Respect for Marriage Act, the San Diego Union Tribune reports. The legislation passed the Senate committee and now awaits voting by the full Senate. If…
