"No Republican governor in California history has promoted transsexuality, bisexuality and homosexuality like Arnold Schwarzenegger has. In the last three years, Schwarzenegger has delighted homosexual activists by signing most of the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) bills that the Democrat-controlled Legislature has placed on his desk. "
--Randy Thomasson, President, Campaign for Children and Families [Source]"Since taking office in 2003, has signed two dozen bills in support of rights for the gay and lesbian communities." [Source]
"The attempt to pass gay marriage was a cynical attempt to embarrass a governor who, up until that point, had been recognized by Equality California and the Human Rights Campaign as the most gay-friendly governor in history."
--Ralph Denney, Log Cabin Candidate for California Assembly (San Diego-AD 76), [Source]
I couldn't find all two dozen bills signed since Arnold took office (that Thomasson refers to), but here are some of them.
Legislation Signed in 2005
• SB 565 by Senator Carole Migden (D-San Francisco) - Property tax reappraisal exclusion: domestic partners.
Prior to this bill, there was no domestic partner exclusion that equates to the interspousal exclusion. This bill establishes an exclusion from reassessment for transfers of real property between registered domestic partners. The author indicated that the bill is intended "to guarantee equality for all Californians, regardless of gender or sexual orientation, and to further the state's interests in protecting Californians from the potentially severe economic and social consequences of abandonment, separation, the death of a partner, and other life crises."• SB 973 by Senator Sheila Kuehl (D-Santa Monica) - Public employees' retirement: domestic partners.
Bill amends the Public Employees Retirement System (PERS), the State Teachers Retirement System (STRS), and the County Employees Retirement Act of 1937 to entitle retired members to elect to change optional retirement allowances to provide for their domestic partners.• AB 228 by Assemblymember Paul Koretz (D-West Hollywood) - Transplantation services: human immunodeficiency virus.
Prohibits health care service plans (health plans) and health insurers from denying coverage for organ or tissue transplantation services on the basis that an enrollee, subscriber, insured, or policyholder is infected with HIV.• AB 1142 by Assemblymember Marvyn Dymally (D-Compton) - HIV/AIDS: African-Americans: statewide initiative.
This bill establishes the Statewide African-American Initiative to address the disproportionate impact of HIV/AIDS on the health of African-Americans by coordinating prevention and service networks around the state in an effort to increase the capacity of core service providers.• AB 1586 by Assemblymember Paul Koretz (D-West Hollywood) - Insurers: health care service plans: discrimination.
This bill adds additional language to existing anti-discrimination provisions under the Health and Safety Code and the Insurance Code to clarify that state law prohibits insurance companies and health care service plans from discriminating on the basis of gender in the creation or maintenance of service contracts or the provision of benefits or coverage. Defines the term "sex," in existing law that prohibits health care service plans (health plans) and insurers from specified discriminatory acts, to have the same meaning as "gender," as defined under the Penal Code, as specified.• AB 1400 by Assemblymember John Laird (D-Santa Cruz) - Unruh Civil Rights Act: marital status and sexual orientation
The Unruh Civil Rights Act (Act) provides that all persons, regardless of their sex, race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, disability, or medical condition are entitled to the full and equal accommodations, advantages, facilities, privileges and services in all business establishments of every kind. This bill clarifies that marital status and sexual orientation are among the characteristics that are protected against discrimination by business establishments under the Act. This bill also imports into the Act definitions of the terms "disability," "religion," "sex," and "sexual orientation" from the Fair Employment and Housing Act, and includes, in enumerating the above characteristics, the perception of those characteristics and association with a person who has or is perceived to have those characteristics as being within the protected categories. These definitions will be integrated into other related provisions of the Act.Legislation Signed - 2004:
• AB 2900 - Employment: discrimination
John Laird (D-Santa Cruz)
Amended employment anti-discrimination statutes to prohibit discrimation on the same bases as in the Fair Employment and Housing Act. Those bases are race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, marital status, sex, age, or sexual orientation. Various provisions of prior law prohibited discrimination in employment on different bases, including the race, color, sex, religion, and marital status of a person.
"Schwarzenegger... since taking office in 2003, has signed two dozen bills in support of rights for the gay and lesbian communities."
Maybe Arnold is taking a cue from George Bush. Just as Bush decided to use Iraq as the battlefield to attract and fight Muslims, Arnold is creating California as the battleground to war with homosexuals. Coming from Massachusetts, I welcome this new strategy.</p>