EQUALITY CALIFORNIA’S QUARTERLY JOURNAL FOR LEADERSHIP CIRCLE AND CAPITOL CLUB MEMBERS
Capitol Club
Leadership Circle
Chelsea Gray: WNBA All-Star, voting rights advocate and Equality California’s newest Leadership Circle member
FALL 2020
SUPPORTER SPOTLIGHT
AN UPDATE FROM OUR MANAGING DIRECTOR Dear friends, With perhaps the most consequential election in our nation’s history just days away, Team Equality California is in full election mode. Almost every member of our staff, as well as our boards and volunteers have gone the extra mile to raise funds, send calls and texts, attend Zoom rallies and much more for our endorsed pro-equality candidates. We are leaving nothing to chance. Once again, Equality California has deployed a robust Get-Out-The-Vote campaign to elect openly LGBTQ+ and pro-equality candidates up and down the ballot and in every corner of the Golden State. Equality California Votes has sent direct mail and run digital ads to support Congressional incumbents Josh Harder, TJ Cox, Gil Cisneros, Katie Porter and candidates Christy Smith and Ammar Campa-Najjar. Our team has also invested in key state and local races where pro-equality candidates are facing an unprecedented number of attacks from anti-LGBTQ+ opponents. As we look to defeat Donald Trump and Mike Pence on November 3, pro-equality voters have never been more important. Whether it’s fighting for Black lives or LGBTQ+ healthcare protections, our LGBTQ+ community and allies can — and will — make a difference. Please visit our Election Center at eqca.org/elections to learn more about all of our endorsed candidates and ballot measures. In solidarity, Tony Hoang
Teaming Up for Equality Supporter Spotlight on Chelsea Gray Whether it’s on or off the court, Chelsea Gray is a true team player. As an international professional basketball player, point guard for the Los Angeles Sparks, and 3-time WNBA All-Star, Chelsea’s strength and talents are undeniable. In large part, Chelsea’s success has been defined by how well she operates on a team. Last year Chelsea tied the franchise record for the number of 3-point baskets made in one game (it’s seven!), but she knows that true greatness is not defined solely by our own actions. Greatness is also measured by the way we uplift our teammates, so it’s no wonder she is best known for the number of assists she makes in each and every game. For Chelsea, the “assists” continue well after the buzzer rings and the lights of the court are turned off. Always thinking about how she can best help others, Chelsea asked herself: “What can I do to make a difference? I’m part of the LGBTQ+ community. How do I help the people that I talk with, I identify with, I understand? How can I help them to understand the importance of voting?”
Voting is a huge part of our democracy and is pivotal for the future of our country. Sitting out this year is not an option.
In an effort to raise awareness about the importance of voting and to bring voice to marginalized voters — especially the Black and LGBTQ+ communities to which she belongs — Chelsea decided to make her assists even more valuable off the court. Working in partnership with Equality California and Rock the Vote, Chelsea announced that she would be donating $50 for every assist she made during the 2020 season. Inspired by Chelsea’s dedication to uplift her community, the LA Sparks pledged to match every donation with another $50 donation. Chelsea and The Sparks even challenged their fans to participate and donate to these causes. Chelsea Gray’s Assist for Equality came to life this season, and Chelsea’s dominance on the court resulted in 116 assists and $13,250 raised for voter education. Chelsea summarizes it best: “Voting is a huge part of our democracy and is pivotal for the future of our country. Sitting out this year is not an option.” This year, we’re all on Team Chelsea!
2020
RACES TO WATCH CANDIDATE: Christy Smith OFFICE: California Congressional District 25 STATE OF THE RACE: CA-25 is rated as one of the most competitive Congressional races in the country. A recent poll showed Assemblymember Christy Smith at 45% and her anti-LGBTQ+ opponent at 46%. Equality California has supported Smith since her bid for Assembly in 2016 and has invested significantly in her 2020 race for Congress.
CANDIDATE: Susan Talamantes Eggman OFFICE: State Senate District 5 STATE OF THE RACE: SD 5 is an open seat in the Central Valley, where openly LGBTQ+ State Senator Cathleen Galgiani is termed out. If elected, Assemblymember Eggman will become one of the first openly LGBTQ+ Latinx women elected to the California Senate (hopefully alongside Abigail Medina).
CANDIDATE: Scott Wiener OFFICE: State Senate District 11 STATE OF THE RACE: In the March 3 Primary Election, Senator Scott Wiener received 55.7% percent of the vote in SD 11. Working closely with Equality California, Senator Wiener has passed more pro-equality legislation in one term than any other legislator in California history, including bills to increase access to HIV prevention medication PrEP & PEP, treat incarcerated transgender people with respect, agency and dignity, collect LGBTQ+ health data, protect LGBTQ+ seniors and modernize our state’s HIV criminal laws. CANDIDATE: Abigail Medina OFFICE: State Senate District 23 STATE OF THE RACE: Abigail is running to flip an open seat held by anti-LGBTQ+ Republican Senator Mike Morrell. Medina was the top vote-getter in the 2020 Primary Election. She is a mom, a school board member and a civil rights activist. In 2018, the number of Democrats surpassed Republicans in the district, which encompasses parts of San Bernardino and Riverside Counties. If elected, Abigail will become one of the first openly LGBTQ+ Latinx women elected to the California Senate (hopefully alongside Susan Eggman). CANDIDATE: Sabrina Cervantes OFFICE: State Assembly District 60 STATE OF THE RACE: Assemblymember Cervantes, a member of the California Legislative LGBTQ Caucus, won the March 3 Primary Election with 54.4% of the vote. Voters in AD 60, which encompasses Corona, Eastvale, Jurupa Valley, Norco and portions of Riverside, have sent Cervantes back to Sacramento since 2016.
RACES TO WATCH
2020
CANDIDATE: Chad Mayes OFFICE: State Assembly District 42 STATE OF THE RACE: An Independent, Assemblymember Chad Mayes received a perfect score in Equality California’s 2019 and 2020 legislative scorecards. Mayes has been attacked by his antiLGBTQ+ opponent for his vote on SB 145, Equality California’s cosponsored bill to protect LGBTQ+ young people from discrimination on the sex offender registry. Equality California considers protecting Mayes’ Inland Empire seat one of our highest priorities in 2020. CANDIDATE: Todd Gloria OFFICE: Mayor, City of San Diego STATE OF THE RACE: Assemblymember Todd Gloria would be the first openly LGBTQ+ and first person of color elected mayor of the eighth largest city in the county. Recently, his opponent refused to condemn anti-LGBTQ+ and homophobic attacks on Gloria for his support of critical pro-equality legislation. Equality California has made significant investments in this race, along with LGBTQ Victory Fund, labor organizations, reproductive freedom organizations and more. CANDIDATE: Christy Holstege OFFICE: Palm Springs City Council, District 4 State of the race: Mayor Pro Tem Holstege has been an effective champion for LGBTQ+ civil rights and social justice on the Palm Springs City Council. After the murder of George Floyd, Holstege’s opponents attacked her for speaking out against racial injustice. If elected, Holstege will be the first female, first millennial and first openly bisexual mayor of Palm Springs.
CANDIDATE: Lisa Middleton OFFICE: Palm Springs City Council, District 5 STATE OF THE RACE: Councilmember Middleton was the first transgender person elected to a non-judicial office in the State of California and was appointed to the CalPERS Board of Administration in 2019 by Governor Newsom. This is the first district-based election for Middleton who is running unopposed.
CANDIDATE: Carolyn Wysinger OFFICE: Area 5 Trustee, West Contra Costa Unified School Board STATE OF THE RACE: Wysinger is the president of the San Francisco Pride Board and an alumna of the Equality California Leadership Academy (2019). She has been endorsed by Senator Scott Wiener, El Cerrito City Councilmember Gabe Quinto, San Francisco Mayor London Breed and the California Democratic Party.
Equality California Around the Web
July 9 | DACA Power Hour After the Supreme Court blocked Trump’s attempt to terminate the DACA program, Equality California convened a Power Hour with DACA recipients and legal experts to discuss next steps for our Dreamers and our undocumented community.
August 10 | HIV Modernization Power Hour The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation and Silver State Equality joined Equality California in cohosting a Power Hour on the ways people living with HIV still face legalized discrimination in 2020. Panelists included Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara, Senator Lena Gonzalez, Cathy Brown and André Wade.
September 30-October 1 California LGBTQ+ Leadership Summit 125 openly LGBTQ+ elected and appointed officials joined Equality California for our first-ever virtual California LGBTQ+ Leadership Summit. Over the two day event, our guests heard from candidates, policy experts and appointment officials.
October 1 | Preserving LGBTQ+ Health Nondiscrimination Protections Panel Equality California and USC Gould School of Law co-hosted a panel discussing LGBTQ+ healthcare nondiscrimination protections in Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act and the ways in which, through legal action such as the BAGLY v. HHS lawsuit, LGBTQ+ civil rights organizations are finding meaningful ways to ensure discrimination protection for LGBTQ+ people.
Legislative Update State Legislation After the COVID-19 pandemic forced the California legislature to reduce and reprioritize considered legislation, the Sacramento legislative team successfully closed out the 2020 session with Governor Newsom’s signature on five Equality California-sponsored bills that advance the health and well-being of California’s LGBTQ+ communities -• • • • •
Equality California led the statewide legislative effort to ensure that LGBTQ+ Californians are not left out of the state’s data-driven response to public health crises ever again. In addition, in partnership with the California LGBTQ Health and Human Services Network, we convened a statewide data working group and will continue our advocacy on this front through 2020 and into 2021. We codified a clear standard that life and disability income insurance providers may not discriminate against people living with HIV. We achieved a long-overdue legislative update that will protect LGBTQ+ youth from discrimination under California’s outdated sex offender registry laws. We strengthened access to mental health support for LGBTQ+ youth. We reduced the harm that transgender people face while incarcerated by ensuring they have a say in which housing placement is safest for them.
In addition to our sponsored bills, we advocated for a comprehensive package of bills and constitutional amendments relating to racial justice and reforming the justice system. With the 2020 session behind us, our team is already working on a new legislative package and looks forward to bringing you our next update regarding exciting work for 2021.
Federal Legislation Given that many of Equality California’s federal legislative priorities stalled in early spring due to the COVID 19 pandemic, National Policy Director Valerie Ploumpis pivoted to regulatory action. Working with legal partners, we filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ proposal to gut the ACA’s nondiscrimination protections and submitted public comments to urge the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to rescind its proposal to eliminate protection for transgender people seeking shelter. The next few weeks will be an all-out effort to stop Amy Coney Barrett from being seated on the Supreme Court and our electoral work aimed at protecting California’s Congressional candidates and electing two challengers – Christy Smith (CA-25) and Ammar Campa-Najjar (CA-50).
Golden State A Virtuatalion Celebr
Equality California supporters tuned in on September 13th for our first-ever statewide celebration, the virtual Golden State Equality Awards! Viewers were treated to performances from artists like icon Melissa Etheridge, Betty Who and Shea Diamond and honored pro-equality champions Norman Lear, Pete & Chasten Buttigieg, along with the creators of Netflix’s original documentary Disclosure—Laverne Cox, Sam Feder, and Amy Scholder. Additional highlights of the evening included a touching tribute to Congressman John Lewis from Speaker Nancy Pelosi, special guests Gloria Estefan and Rita Moreno and videos featuring the personal stories of Equality California’s dedicated staff. The statewide fête was complemented by Regional Pre-Show Programs spotlighting the heroes for equality making a difference in Sacramento, San Francisco, San Diego, Los Angeles and Palm Springs. The entire Equality California family thanks YOU— our most committed supporters—for helping us raise more than $1.7 million to further the organization’s critical work!
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Equality California is the nation’s largest statewide lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LBGTQ+) civil rights organization. Equality California brings the voices of LBGTQ+ people and allies to institutions of power in California and across the United States, striving to create a world that is healthy, just, and fully equal for all LBGTQ+ people. We advance civil rights and social justice by inspiring, advocating, and mobilizing through an inclusive movement that works tirelessly on behalf of those we serve.
Los Angeles Headquarters 3701 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 725 Los Angeles, CA 90010 Phone: (323) 848-9801 email: email@eqca.org