Date: Thu, 6 Nov 1997 16:20:53 -0800 From: richter@eecs.berkeley.edu (Jean Richter) Subject: 11/6/97 P.E.R.S.O.N. Project news 1. CA: 1997 legislative update and Youth Lobby Day info 2. Participate in the Internet Summit ============================================================== [I've excerpted the relevant bits from this (rather lengthy) email:] From: "Channel Q" Sender: Ellen McCormick Date: Wed, 5 Nov 1997 18:39:39 Subject: CA: Final 1997 Legislative Update & Youth Lobby Day Update Hello! Please find below, the final Civil Rights Legislative Update for 1997 (HIV/Health care is forthcoming). Just a few notes about LIFE's LGBT Civil Rights activities during the legislative recess: Youth Lobby Day is set for January 21, 1998! Please join us! This spectacular event is sponsored by LIFE Institute, incite! web site, Outword Newsmagazine and Frontiers Newsmagazine. Youth Lobby Day is for any queer or straight youth that wants to learn about progressive political issues and plus it's a blast. Adults (26 and up) are always welcome as volunteers. Here's what we need: volunteers, in kind food donations, and $$$ (corporate sponsors?)! If you or someone you know is able to help out with our "needs" please call (916) 444-0424 or email ellen.mccormick@lifelobby.com. Thanks! I will be presenting a round table discussion on "Legislating Issues of Gender Identity" at the NGLTF Creating Change Conference in San Diego next week. Please attend if you are able to. If not, please contact me if you are interested in working on gender identity legislation in California. Last, the UC Regents will be voting soon (Nov. 20) on Domestic Partner Policy within the UC system. Please contact Cruz Bustamante, Speaker of the Assembly, and urge him to be there to vote "yes" on the policy. He can be reached at: Cruz Bustamante Phone: (916) 445-8514 Fax: (916) 324-7129 Email: cruz.bustamante@assembly.ca.gov If you would like more information on DP developments within the UC System, please email ellen.mccormick@lifelobby.com. All my best, Ellen McCormick Legislative Advocate At last, the Final Legislative Update for 1997... October 30, 1997 (97-7) FINAL LEGISLATIVE UPDATE: Civil Rights Contacts: Ellen McCormick, Legislative Advocate Eric Astacaan, Legislative Advocate Laurie McBride, Executive Director Sam Catalano, Legislative Assistant LIFE: California's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and HIV/AIDS Lobby Contents: 1997 Priorities: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning Youth Rights and Education General LGBT Civil Rights and Policy Issues: Coalition Work Notes Inactive Bills Possible Legislative Positions 1997 PRIORITIES: LGBTQ YOUTH RIGHTS AND EDUCATION AB 424 (Baldwin) last amended: 09/02/97 OPPOSE Postsecondary education: armed forces training and recruitment. AB 424 would prohibit a California State University or Community College from removing an armed forces training unit (ROTC) or recruiter from curriculum, campus, or facility. Armed forces training units, in compliance with the U.S. Department of Defense, do not allow openly gay or lesbian students to participate in certain classes and programs. Due to this policy, some schools have attempted to remove ROTC programs from their campuses. Recently passed federal legislation has superceded the intent of AB 424 and is already forcing California's schools to reinstate ROTC. Because of this, AB 424 would have no actual impact on California's schools. AB 424 has been amended to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in an armed forces training unit (ROTC). However, Staff continues to recommend an oppose position to this bill as there is no enforcement mechanism for the nondiscrimination clause. ACTIONS: 02/20/97 INTRODUCED 04/22/97 PASSED ASSEMBLY HIGHER EDUCATION CMTE., 8 - 6 05/30/97 PASSED ASSEMBLY APPROPRIATIONS CMTE., 12 - 3 06/03/97 PASSED ASSEMBLY FLOOR, 48 - 25 06/25/97 PASSED SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE, 10 - 0 08/29/97 PASSED SENATE APPROPRIATIONS CMTE., 7 - 0 09/03/97 PASSED SENATE FLOOR, 24 - 3 STATUS: PENDING CONCURRENCE VOTE IN ASSEMBLY - TWO-YEAR BILL* AB 1113 (House) Amd: 05/01/97 OPPOSE Parental rights. AB 1113 would provide that a parent shall retain "the fundamental right to exercise primary control over the care, upbringing, and education of any child in his or her charge." AB 1113 would also allow any parent to bring action in a state court for a claim for damages arising "under the principles established in the...fundamental right of primary parental control." This is the standard "parental rights" legislation that appears each year, however, this measure is stronger as it specifies that a parent may bring action in a state court. ACTIONS: 02/27/97 INTRODUCED 05/07/97 FAILED ASSEMBLY JUDICIARY COMMITTEE, 5 - 9 STATUS: FAILED - RECONSIDERATION GRANTED - TWO YEAR BILL* AB 1490 (House) Amd: 05/14/97 OPPOSE Sex education: homosexuality. AB 1490 would provide that no public monies may be used to provide instruction materials or instruction that "promotes or advocates (and just added) or dissuades or opposes homosexuality as a viable alternative lifestyle or...refer any pupil to any organization that promotes or advocates or dissuades or opposes a homosexual lifestyle." This measure is not only offensive and blatantly homophobic, it could, if enacted, have detrimental effects on such life-saving programs as Project 10 (Los Angeles). The author has taken an amendment to the bill so that no program may "promote, advocate, dissuade or oppose" homosexuality. While this amendment may seem to make the author look less zealous at best, the bill as currently written would still shut down life-saving programs for at-risk youth and ironically enough, have the unintended effect of removing school-sponsored Boy Scout programs. ACTIONS: 02/28/97 INTRODUCED 05/07/97 FAILED ASSEMBLY EDUCATION COMMITTEE, 6 - 4 STATUS: FAILED - RECONSIDERATION GRANTED - TWO YEAR BILL* GENERAL LGBT CIVIL RIGHTS AND POLICY ISSUES: COALITION WORK AB 499 (Kuehl) Amd: 06/02/97 SUPPORT Education: diversity in education: Sex Equity in Education Act The California Education Code prohibits discrimination on the basis of ethnic group identification, religion, are, sex, color, or physical or mental disability. AB 499 would make several changes to the Education Code with regard to its discrimination statutes. Specifically, AB 499 would consolidate and standardize the non-discrimination language (current codes are scattered); allow remedy though civil action following a 60 day administrative procedure; and remove statutory funding restrictions on the Hate Violence Prevention Act (hate violence prevention). AB 499 is the "clean up" bill for the Education Code's nondiscrimination language, it does not add sexual orientation into the Education Code. ACTIONS: 02/24/97 INTRODUCED 04/16/97 PASSED ASSEMBLY JUDICIARY COMMITTEE, 10 - 5 05/30/97 PASSED ASSEMBLY APPROPRIATIONS CMTE., 11 - 8 06/04/97 FAILED ASSEMBLY FLOOR, 37 - 36 STATUS: INACTIVE FILE - RECONSIDERATION GRANTED - TWO-YEAR BILL* NOTES * Two Year Bill: A bill that has missed legislative deadlines for the first year of the two year session; has failed and has been granted reconsideration; or has been postponed because of lack of votes or other reasons. Two year bills return early in the second year of the two year session and begin the legislative process where they were left off. Constitutional Amendments and Resolutions have different deadlines than typical Assembly and Senate Bills and as such are usually two year bills. * 28.8D: Signifies that a bill has been deemed to have no fiscal impact and is passed by the Appropriations Committee with out a hearing (Joint Rule 28.8). INACTIVE BILLS: bills removed from Legislative Update bills failed by committee or floor vote: BILL (AUTHOR) LEGISLATIVE UPDATE TO REFER TO: AB 101 (Kuehl) Sponsor/PRI 1 97-4 POSSIBLE LEGISLATIVE POSITIONS Sponsor: LIFE to participate in drafting, strategy, lobbying, and amendments to bill, in conjunction with the author's office and other sponsors. Automatically Level 1 Priority. Support: Lobbying in support of bill. Support Seeking Amendment: Support stands regardless of fate of amendments. Support If Amended: Possible support if amendments accepted. Neutral Watch: Bill language is watched; staff will research bill as appropriate. Oppose Unless Amended: Author and sponsors of bill are notified of LIFE's intent to oppose unless LIFE amendments are accepted. Oppose No Position Priority 1: Pull-out-all-the-stops activity for staff and delegates; includes sponsorships. Priority 2: Active lobbying activity by staff and delegates as appropriate. Priority 3: Passive lobbying by staff and delegates (letters to committee). ============================================================================ X-Sender: ljavier@pop.mindspring.com Date: Thu, 6 Nov 1997 14:13:03 -0700 From: "Loren R. Javier" Subject: PLEASE READ: Internet Summit As you might know, the Internet Summit will be happening in Washington, DC in December (1-3). Unfortunately, many religious radical groups will be participating. To name a few, Focus on the Family, Christian Coalition, and the Family Research Council, are all participating. Not only that, but they have taken strong roles in the arena of child advocacy and education. I think it would really benefit all of our organizations to participate and help balance things out. I urge you to spread the word to other child advocacy and education and parents groups. If you do know other people, please let me know and I can send them information. I have already spoken with Felicia Park-Rogers from COLAGE and John Spear from GLSEN. Let's have a strong united voice at the summit. To register, what you must do is: 1. Go to www.kidsonline.org and register there. 2. Call Rica Guarnieri from Fleishman-Hillard, the PR firm handling the summit. She is very much wanting a balanced discussion. Her phone number is 202.659.0330. Tell her you spoke to me and that you want to be involved. Thanks again! I hope that you are a representative of your organization will go. Best, Loren ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Loren R. Javier Interactive Media Director Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) javier@glaad.org TO REPORT DEFAMATION IN THE MEDIA - Call GLAAD's Alertline at 1.800.GAY.MEDIA or go to the GLAAD Web Site at www.glaad.org and report through our Alertline Online. GLAAD is a national organization that promotes fair, accurate and inclusive representation as a means of challenging discrimination based on sexual orientation or identity. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "GLAAD" and "Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation" are registered trademarks of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, Inc. ============================================================================== Jean Richter -- richter@eecs.berkeley.edu The P.E.R.S.O.N. Project (Public Education Regarding Sexual Orientation Nationally) CHECK OUT OUR INFO-LOADED WEB PAGE AT: http://www.youth.org/loco/PERSONProject/