Leadership Circle & Capitol Club Newsletter | Summer 2020

EQUALITY CALIFORNIA’S QUARTERLY JOURNAL FOR LEADERSHIP CIRCLE AND CAPITOL CLUB MEMBERS

Capitol Club

Leadership Circle

SUMMER 2020

SUPPORTER SPOTLIGHT

An Update on our COVID-19 Help Center Dear Friends, While the spread of COVID-19 and the accompanying economic fallout affects us all, ongoing inequities faced by LGBTQ+ people have created even greater vulnerability in our communities.

That’s why Equality California was pleased to launch the COVID-19 LGBTQ+ Help Center, a consumerfriendly website and Help Line to connect LGBTQ+ Californians impacted by the COVID-19 crisis with LGBTQ+ friendly resources and support services.

The website includes a comprehensive directory of service providers in each of the state’s 58 counties, as well as state and national resources.

We’re also delighted to host a variety of webinars designed to support people who have been impacted by COVID-19. The webinars, running between now and November, will be covering an array of topics, such as “Retooling your Resume,” “Pivoting Your Skills for Remote Work,” or “How to Apply for Unemployment Benefits.”

The pandemic has laid bare America’s deeply rooted inequities, not just in terms of healthcare, but also employment, the wealth gap, police violence against Black and brown communities, and so much more. At Equality California, it is our mission to reduce those disparities, not just for LGBTQ+ people, but also for the communities in which we live and work. We hope that the COVID-19 Help Center can play a small but meaningful role in accomplishing that by connecting individuals to resources in their area. You can check it out at covid19.eqca.org.

In solidarity, Zizi Bandera Program Manager

The Starting Point Supporter Spotlight on Trevan Fischer, M.D.

From his childhood farm in rural Oklahoma to his current position as an Assistant Professor of Surgical Oncology, Dr. Trevan Fischer always knew he wanted to join the medical profession. Following the shocking results of the 2016 presidential election and the adoption of their child Ava, Trevan and his husband Lance also knew they had to become more involved in fighting the many inequities and challenges our LGBTQ+ community regularly faces. Introduced by a friend to the work of Equality California, Trevan joined the Board of Advisors in 2017.

Trevan quickly joined the host committee for the Los Angeles Equality Awards, which allowed him to get actively involved with the organization and introduce his network to work he passionately supports. Witnessing first hand the hardships that members of the LGBTQ+ community face when accessing healthcare, he understands the importance of Equality California’s training for physicians and other patient-facing health professionals to ensure they understand the unique needs of LGBTQ+ patients and have the tools to care for them. While the overall medical field has made progress, there is still more room for this cultural competency training in speciality fields — so healthcare providers are able to honor a patient’s diverse and intersecting identities in order to provide the specialized care they need.

For most disparities in health, a lot of it comes down to education. Race, socioeconomic status, or even the differences in sexual orientation, if we can teach those who are caring for the LGBTQ+ community to be sensitive to the issues we face, that’s the starting point.

With the COVID-19 health crisis, Trevan’s work has shifted, but he remains unwavering in his desire to care for the LGBTQ+ community knowing that we are at greater risk for developing complications from the virus. It’s no secret that this pandemic has changed every aspect of our lives. Not just our health but our interactions with people. With our families and friends. He finds himself worried, as a cancer surgeon, that patients will avoid routine mammograms and that a hidden cost of the pandemic is that people are not taking full care of themselves out of fear of COVID-19. A caring doctor, Trevan has been working with his fellow healthcare community to help patients maintain their health while mitigating the risk of COVID-19 exposure. Together, Equality California and frontline heroes like Trevan strive to create a world that is healthy, just, and fully equal for all LGBTQ+ people.

Equality California Around the Web

April 1: On National Census Day, Equality California’s census team launched a multi-prong digital campaign that consisted of email blasts, social media posts, and an interactive Instagram story challenge to educate LGBTQ+ folks on why they should take part in the census.

April 30: Equality California hosted Evening for Equality, our first ever virtual community event, with guests Rep. Katie Porter, Chasten Buttigieg, Angelica Ross and more, and special performances from Jason Mraz and CeCe Peniston.

May 22: Equality California PAC members, California Senate Pro Tem Toni Atkins, Senator Scott Wiener, Stuart Milk and Senate candidate Abigail Medina gathered for a virtual Harvey Milk Day Breakfast Reception to honor Harvey’s 90th birthday and support pro-equality candidates.

June 24: Equality California, in partnership with Weedmaps, hosted Solidarity in Pride, a free virtual community event. Special guests included Congressional Black Caucus Chair Rep. Karen Bass and CA Legislative Black Caucus Chair Asm. Shirley Weber with performances by Madame Gandhi, VINCINT and more!

FEATURED EVENT June 4: In the wake of the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor and worldwide protests demanding racial justice, Equality California, Silver State Equality and the National Center for Lesbian Rights hosted an important Power Hour discussion on combating racism and anti-Black violence.

Panelists included Nevada Senator Dallas Harris, California Asm. Sydney Kamlager, Silver State Equality’s André Wade and NCLR’s Imani Rupert-Gordon, moderated by pop culture journalist Jarrett Hill.

Legislative Update With all eyes and efforts on COVID-19, the Sacramento legislative team continues to advocate for our LGBTQ+ community.

• In partnership with Senator Scott Wiener (SD-11), Equality California is leading the statewide legislative effort to ensure that people are given the opportunity to voluntarily provide data about their sexual orientation and gender identity when being tested or treated for COVID-19.

• A new bill this year, cosponsored with California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara and authored by Senator Lena Gonzalez (SD-33), will ensure that life and disability income insurance providers do not discriminate against people living with HIV. • As the Governor and the Legislature finalized a 2020-2021 budget, Equality California advocated to secure funding for people living with HIV, youth experiencing homelessness, transgender and intersex people, nonprofit organizations, LGBTQ+ seniors and more.

Finally, this summer reaffirms our commitment to intersectional advocacy. Equality California announced our support for a comprehensive package of racial justice bills and constitutional amendments in the California Legislature. You can view the package here: eqca.org/2020-racial-justice-legislation/ The COVID-19 crisis dramatically impacted Equality California’s Washington, DC office. Early in the pandemic, Members of Congress rushed back to their districts where they suspended consideration on any legislation but pandemic-mitigation. Though action on Equality California’s federal priority legislation through the remainder of the Congressional term remains unclear, Equality California’s DC office has been busy – our National Policy Director Valerie Ploumpis submitted Congressional testimony on the impact of COVID-19 on LGBTQ+ people, forcefully advocated for LGBTQ+ data collection at COVID testing sites, joined amicus briefs in two key cases headed to the Supreme Court, opposed three far-right judicial nominees for federal courts, and led a series of EQCA webinars aimed at supporting LGBTQ people hard-hit by the COVID crisis.

Golden State Equality Awards This year, due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis and in the best interest of the health, well-being and safety of our guests and supporters, we have made the difficult decision to cancel all in-person Equality Awards for 2020. While we will be unable to gather together in person, we will still celebrate our community achievements and honor the inspirational leaders whose selfless work helps create a world that is healthy, just and fully equal for all LGBTQ+ people at the first-ever statewide virtual celebration, the Golden State Equality Awards on Sunday, September 13, 2020!

This historic virtual event will start with regional programs celebrating our LGBTQ+ and allied communities in Sacramento, San Francisco, San Diego, Los Angeles, and Palm Springs. Then we will bring everyone together from across California (and beyond!) for the main event to highlight proequality champions throughout the state, enjoy exclusive performances and recognize our generous partners whose support is critical to advancing our mission.

Golden State

For more information, visit www.eqcaawards.org or contact events@eqca.org 2020 LEADERSHIP SPONSORS AT&T Southwest Uber Weedmaps

2020 STATEWIDE SPONSORS Edison Farmers Kaiser Permanente Le Crema

A Virtuaatiol n Celebr

Sempra Energy Sutter Health Tito’s Walmart

RACE TO WATCH Candidate: Ammar Campa-Najjar Office: Congressional District 50

2020

Election Date: November 3, 2020 Fun Fact: Ammar ran for CD-50 in 2018 and narrowly lost to incumbent Duncan Hunter. Hunter has since resigned from Congress after illegally using over $200,000 in campaign funds. Recent polls have shown Campa-Najjar and his opponent, Darrell Issa — a former Congressman who shares Hunter’s history of corruption — to be neck-and-neck.

Annual Report 2019 We are pleased to present the 2019 Annual Report for Equality California and Equality California Institute. In 2019, Equality California celebrated our 20th anniversary — an exciting milestone and an important opportunity to look back on our history and recommit ourselves to the future. Take a look at our 2019 Annual Report to read about our accomplishments and see what we’re doing next.

View online at eqca.org/2019-annual-report-full

ANNUAL REPORT 2019

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