Lesbian/gay/bi/trans struggle
Californians gear up for equal rights battle
By Keith
Pavlik
San Francisco
In the face of increased racist, anti-gay, and other fascist
attacks, Californians are gearing up to battle for equal rights
for lesbian, gay, bi and trans people. In addition to
legislative measures now before the governor, the campaign to
defeat an initiative banning same-sex marriages is growing.
The last days of the legislative session saw a flurry by
lawmakers to water down bills protecting lesbians, gay men,
bisexual and trans people. Three of these bills passed. They
are now before Gov. Gray Davis--who has indicated a willingness
to sign only one.
The bills would provide domestic-partner recognition for
state, county and city employees, protect students from attacks
based on sexual orientation, and incorporate protection against
discrimination in housing and employment based on sexual
orientation into the state Civil Rights code.
In order to win passage in the legislature, the scope of the
original bills had to be limited. Davis had pledged not to sign
any ground-breaking legislation beyond what he voted for as a
university regent.
The bill to protect youths and students was defeated in
June; author Sheila Kuehl had to gut it of many protections to
win passage. A bill to protect needle exchange programs was
introduced, but according to the San Francisco Chronicle,
"Davis said he would sign a watered-down version that would not
legalize the programs ... ."
Despite these concessions, Davis--a "moderate" Democrat--has
agreed to sign only the domestic-partners bill. This comes
weeks after airlines and other major companies capitulated to
mass outrage and pressure, and complied with a San Francisco
law mandating benefits for same-sex couples.
Davis spokesperson Hilary McLean said he does not yet have a
position on the other two bills.
Davis has been accused of betraying the civil-rights
movement in relation to other legislation. He vetoed a bill
providing outreach programs for women and people of color in
filling state jobs. And he was reluctant to end the state's
court case supporting implementation of the racist
anti-immigrant Proposition 187. His intervention left parts of
the proposition intact.
The Chronicle quoted Oren Sellstrom of the Lawyers Committee
for Civil Rights: "Davis is following directly in the [former
Gov.] Pete Wilson's footsteps."
Activists in the lesbian/gay/bi/trans community are now wary
of Davis' lack of enthusiasm for the bills before him. Plans to
incorporate demands for civil rights figure into organizing
around the state. The Los Angeles Stonewall Initiative for
Equal Rights is planning an Oct. 12 rally to commemorate the
anti-gay murder of Mathew Shepard and victims of other racist
and fascist violence.
Organizer Joe Delaplaine said: "We want to create unity in
the face of fascist violence, whether it be in Jasper, Texas,
where white supremacists dragged a Black man to his death, or
in Redding were a gay couple was murdered, in Buffalo, N.Y.,
where a doctor providing abortions was shot down, or here in
L.A. where a Filipino postal worker was murdered by a neo-Nazi
after an attack on a Jewish community center.
"We fight for our civil rights and the rights of all
oppressed people, and in unity we will find the power not only
for our legal protection, but to end racist, anti-Semitic,
homophobic and fascist violence, be it from the police, the
courts, or the Klan."
An initiative defining marriage as "between one man and one
woman" will be on the ballot in the March 2000 California
presidential primary. Known as the Knight Initiative for its
racist and anti-gay sponsor Pete Knight, the proposition
threatens the limited existing rights guaranteed to lesbian,
gay, bi and trans people, and also would prevent the extension
of marriage rights to same-sex couples.
Presidential hopeful George W. Bush has come out in support
of the proposition. Democratic candidates are against
legalizing same-sex marriage, yet claim to oppose the
initiative. Polls show that voters are evenly divided on the
issue, so activists around the state have established
grassroots efforts to defeat the initiative.
This article is copyright under a Creative Commons License.
Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011
Email: ww@workers.org
Subscribe wwnews-subscribe@workersworld.net
Support independent news http://www.workers.org/orders/donate.php)
HOME :: U.S. NEWS :: WORLD NEWS :: EDITORIALS :: SUBSCRIBE :: DONATE
Email
this article
Printable
page