California Assembly passes legislation that extends protections for the LGBT community

This week the California Assembly passed legislation that extends protections for the LGBT community with the most support of any EQCA-sponsored bill in history.

In a legislature that votes mostly on party lines on social issues, your direct grassroots action with EQCA has resulted in increased support for our legislation—proving that equality is not a partisan issue.
The bill, which will require prisons to include sexual orientation and gender identity when identifying prisoners who need protection, passed by an overwhelming margin of 65 to 9. 14 of the 29 Republican members voted for the legislation and 6 members abstained from the vote.

This recent victory is just one result of the hard work we have done together to gain more and more support for LGBT equality. Through your countless emails and lobby visits over the years you have shown all members of the Legislature the vital importance of LGBT equality. Members have told me personally that hearing stories from their constituents has only increased their support for EQCA’s legislation.

All of EQCA’s current legislation continues to pass their committees, including yesterday’s Assembly Judiciary Committee vote to make changing one’s gender identification more accessible for transgender persons and last week’s bipartisan vote in the Senate Education Committee to designate May 22 as Harvey Milk Day.

And this recent activity is evidence that the arc of equality always bends toward progress.

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Original source : http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/2009/05/california-as…

Maine: Vote on Gay Marriage Expected

The joint judiciary committee of the Legislature approved a bill to allow same-sex marriage in the state, setting the stage for the House and Senate to vote on it as soon as next week. Eleven of the 14 committee members voted in favor of the bill, two voted against it and one proposed letting voters decide the matter in a referendum. Gov. John Baldacci, a Democrat, has not said whether he will sign the bill. The New Hampshire House of Representatives approved a same-sex marriage bill last month, and the Senate is scheduled to take it up Wednesday.

See