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Schwarzenegger Gives with One Hand, Takes with Other
California Governor Signs Nation's First Law Prohibiting Health Insurers
from Discriminating Against Transgender Consumers but also
Sells LGBT Families Out to Social Conservatives
Immediate Release
Media Contacts:
Christopher Daley, Director
(415) 865-0176
Shane Caya, Family Law Project Manager
(415) 865-0184
Schwarzenegger Gives with One Hand, Takes with Other
California Governor Signs Nation's First Law Prohibiting Health Insurers
from Discriminating Against Transgender Consumers but also
Sells LGBT Families Out to Social Conservatives
September 29, 2005 - San Francisco, CA - California Governor Arnold
Schwarzenegger made history twice today by first protecting transgender
consumers from health care insurance discrimination and then by denying LGBT
families full protection under the law. When the Governor signed AB 1586,
the Insurance Gender Non-Discrimination Act authored by West Hollywood
Assemblymember Paul Koretz, he created the nation's only law explicitly
protecting transgender people from health insurance discrimination.
"California has just taken a huge step forward through AB 1586 by clearly
stating that our health care insurance industry can't deny coverage or
services to people simply because they are transgender," said Christopher
Daley, Transgender Law Center Director. "The Insurance Gender
Non-Discrimination Act is good, common-sense public policy that insures that
transgender people and their families can get and use insurance policies
under the same terms and conditions as the rest of the state."
"But sadly, this victory is tainted by the Governor's denial of full
protection for LGBT families." By vetoing Assemblymember Mark Leno's
Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act, the first such law
approved by a state's legislature, the Governor has refused to fully protect
LGBT families, including many transgender families.
"By signing Mark Leno's Marriage Equality bill, the Governor could have
eased the fears and anxieties of transgender people concerned about their
ability to protect their children and their partners if the state fails to
recognize the validity of their marriage," said Shane Caya, manager of
Transgender Law Center's Family Law Project. "Instead, he wimped out and
sacrificed our community to social conservatives who want to deny our
families the basic protections that they enjoy."
Details of AB 1586 can be found at:
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/postquery
-- 30 --
The Transgender Law Center, an independent non-profit, was founded in 2002.
TLC uses direct legal services, education, community organizing, and policy
and media advocacy to transform California into a state that recognizes and
supports the needs of transgender people and their families.
<http://www.transgenderlawcenter.org>
<http://www.transgenderlawcenter.org/donate> We Need Your Support
Cecilia Chung
Deputy Director
Transgender Law Center
<http://maps.yahoo.com/py/maps.py?Pyt=Tmap&addr=160+14th+Street&csz=San+Fran
cisco%2C+CA+94103&country=us> 160 14th Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
<mailto:cecilia [at] transgenderlawcenter.org> cecilia [at] transgenderlawcenter.org
<http://www.transgenderlawcenter.org> http://www.transgenderlawcenter.org
tel:
fax:
mobile:
415-865-0184
415-777-5565
415-902-0216
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EQUALITY CALIFORNIA
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SEPTEMBER 29, 2005
Contact: Eddie Gutiérrez, Director of Communications
Phone: (323) 217-8875 Email: eddie [at] eqca.org
EQUALITY CALIFORNIA TO GOVERNOR SCHWARZENEGGER: 'WE'LL BE BACK!'
SACRAMENTO, CA -- Today, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed Equality
California-sponsored Assembly Bill 849, the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage
Protection Act, by Assemblyman Mark Leno (D-San Francisco), bringing this bill's
dramatic progress in recent weeks to a halt.
"The Governor has simply delayed -- not ended -- the inevitability of marriage
equality in California," said Equality California Executive Director Geoffrey Kors.
"When called upon to take a position on the civil rights issue of the day, Governor
Schwarzenegger decided to block the doorway to equality," Kors continued. "As a
result of his veto, hundreds of thousands of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender
Californians and their families will continue to live without equal protection of
the law. However, the veto cannot take away the incredible progress that was
achieved when the majority of California's elected Legislature passed this
legislation. History has shown time and time again that the path to equality,
justice and fairness can be blocked, but ultimately, the door will be opened."
In a pair of historic civil rights votes in early September, the California
Legislature earned the distinction of becoming the first legislative body in the
nation to vote to pass equal marriage rights legislation for same-sex couples.
Governor Schwarzenegger has now earned the distinction of being the first and only
Governor in the history of our nation to veto civil rights legislation that would
have ended discrimination against lesbian and gay couples in access to
government-issued marriage licenses. The legislation was supported by more than 200
religious, labor and civil rights organizations. The California State Conference of
the NAACP, United Farm Workers of America (UFW), Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and
Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA) are among the major civil rights organizations
in California that supported the legislation.
This is the second gay rights bill vetoed by the Governor this month. In early
September, the Governor vetoed legislation that would have added sexual orientation
and gender to the many other categories included in the existing anti-bias voluntary
pledge in the California Fair Political Practices Act. This was the first veto of an
Equality California-sponsored LGBT-rights bill since he was elected.
"In addition to being extremely disappointed with the Governor's decision to veto
two Equality California-sponsored LGBT civil rights bills this year, we are troubled
by the Governor's continued failure to make an unequivocal statement opposing the
various constitutional initiatives proposed for the June 2006 election," said Kors.
"These proposed initiatives would not only prohibit the courts or Legislature from
ending discrimination in the marriage laws, but would also eliminate existing legal
protections currently provided by law to domestic partners, including rights enacted
with the Governor's signature last year."
The Governor did sign four remaining EQCA-sponsored bills. Assembly Bill (AB) 1400,
the Civil Rights Act of 2005 (Laird, D-Santa Cruz), builds upon the Unruh Civil
Rights Act and related provisions to clarify and reinforce that all businesses that
provide services, goods or accommodations to the public cannot discriminate based on
sexual orientation, gender identity or marital status; Senate Bill (SB) 973 (Kuehl,
D-Santa Monica), allows domestic partners of public employees who retired prior to
January 1, 2005, to receive death benefits if the retiree dies before their partner;
SB 565 (Migden, D-San Francisco), ensures legally recognized domestic partners are
treated the same as spouses under California's property tax laws; and AB 1586
(Koretz, D-West Hollywood), adds gender and gender identity to existing
anti-discrimination provisions in California laws regulating insurance companies and
health care service plans.
"While we are certainly grateful he signed our remaining legislation today, denying
us marriage equality prevents us from truly enjoying equal rights and protections
guaranteed to everyone else," said Kors.
Founded in 1998, Equality California is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, grassroots-based,
statewide advocacy organization whose mission is to ensure the dignity, safety,
equality and civil rights of all lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT)
Californians. Equality California is one of the largest and fastest-growing
statewide LGBT organizations in the country. We can be contacted through our website
at http://www.eqca.org (http://www.eqca.org/) .
-30-
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SEPTEMBER 29, 2005
Contact: Eddie Gutiérrez, Director of Communications
Phone: (323) 217-8875 Email: eddie [at] eqca.org
EQUALITY CALIFORNIA TO GOVERNOR SCHWARZENEGGER: 'WE'LL BE BACK!'
SACRAMENTO, CA -- Today, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed Equality
California-sponsored Assembly Bill 849, the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage
Protection Act, by Assemblyman Mark Leno (D-San Francisco), bringing this bill's
dramatic progress in recent weeks to a halt.
"The Governor has simply delayed -- not ended -- the inevitability of marriage
equality in California," said Equality California Executive Director Geoffrey Kors.
"When called upon to take a position on the civil rights issue of the day, Governor
Schwarzenegger decided to block the doorway to equality," Kors continued. "As a
result of his veto, hundreds of thousands of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender
Californians and their families will continue to live without equal protection of
the law. However, the veto cannot take away the incredible progress that was
achieved when the majority of California's elected Legislature passed this
legislation. History has shown time and time again that the path to equality,
justice and fairness can be blocked, but ultimately, the door will be opened."
In a pair of historic civil rights votes in early September, the California
Legislature earned the distinction of becoming the first legislative body in the
nation to vote to pass equal marriage rights legislation for same-sex couples.
Governor Schwarzenegger has now earned the distinction of being the first and only
Governor in the history of our nation to veto civil rights legislation that would
have ended discrimination against lesbian and gay couples in access to
government-issued marriage licenses. The legislation was supported by more than 200
religious, labor and civil rights organizations. The California State Conference of
the NAACP, United Farm Workers of America (UFW), Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and
Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA) are among the major civil rights organizations
in California that supported the legislation.
This is the second gay rights bill vetoed by the Governor this month. In early
September, the Governor vetoed legislation that would have added sexual orientation
and gender to the many other categories included in the existing anti-bias voluntary
pledge in the California Fair Political Practices Act. This was the first veto of an
Equality California-sponsored LGBT-rights bill since he was elected.
"In addition to being extremely disappointed with the Governor's decision to veto
two Equality California-sponsored LGBT civil rights bills this year, we are troubled
by the Governor's continued failure to make an unequivocal statement opposing the
various constitutional initiatives proposed for the June 2006 election," said Kors.
"These proposed initiatives would not only prohibit the courts or Legislature from
ending discrimination in the marriage laws, but would also eliminate existing legal
protections currently provided by law to domestic partners, including rights enacted
with the Governor's signature last year."
The Governor did sign four remaining EQCA-sponsored bills. Assembly Bill (AB) 1400,
the Civil Rights Act of 2005 (Laird, D-Santa Cruz), builds upon the Unruh Civil
Rights Act and related provisions to clarify and reinforce that all businesses that
provide services, goods or accommodations to the public cannot discriminate based on
sexual orientation, gender identity or marital status; Senate Bill (SB) 973 (Kuehl,
D-Santa Monica), allows domestic partners of public employees who retired prior to
January 1, 2005, to receive death benefits if the retiree dies before their partner;
SB 565 (Migden, D-San Francisco), ensures legally recognized domestic partners are
treated the same as spouses under California's property tax laws; and AB 1586
(Koretz, D-West Hollywood), adds gender and gender identity to existing
anti-discrimination provisions in California laws regulating insurance companies and
health care service plans.
"While we are certainly grateful he signed our remaining legislation today, denying
us marriage equality prevents us from truly enjoying equal rights and protections
guaranteed to everyone else," said Kors.
Founded in 1998, Equality California is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, grassroots-based,
statewide advocacy organization whose mission is to ensure the dignity, safety,
equality and civil rights of all lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT)
Californians. Equality California is one of the largest and fastest-growing
statewide LGBT organizations in the country. We can be contacted through our website
at http://www.eqca.org (http://www.eqca.org/) .
-30-
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