Bill Text: CA ACR99 | 2019-2020 | Regular Session | Amended

California Assembly Concurrent Resolution 99 (Prior Session Legislation)

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

Bill Title: Civil rights: lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer people.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 70-1)

Status: (Passed) 2019-09-26 - Chaptered by Secretary of State - Res. Chapter 166, Statutes of 2019. [ACR99 Detail]

Download: California-2019-ACR99-Amended.html

Amended IN Senate August 28, 2019

Amended IN Assembly June 24, 2019

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2019–2020 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Concurrent Resolution

No. 99

Introduced by Assembly Member Low
(Principal coauthors: Assembly Members Cervantes, Eggman, and Gloria)
(Principal coauthors: Senators Atkins, ~~Galgiani,~~ Beall, Galgiani, Lena Gonzalez, McGuire, Pan, Portantino, Stern, Umberg, Wieckowski, and Wiener)
(Coauthors: Assembly Members Aguiar-Curry, Arambula, Bauer-Kahan, Bloom, Boerner Horvath, Bonta, Burke, Calderon, Carrillo, Chiu, Chu, Friedman, Gabriel, Cristina Garcia, Gipson, Gonzalez, Kalra, Kamlager-Dove, Levine, Maienschein, McCarty, Medina, Muratsuchi, Nazarian, O’Donnell, Petrie-Norris, Quirk, Quirk-Silva, Reyes, Luz Rivas, Robert Rivas, Rodriguez, Blanca Rubio, Smith, Mark Stone, Ting, Wicks, Wood, Berman, Chau, Cooley, Cooper, Daly, Frazier, Eduardo Garcia, Gray, Holden, Irwin, Jones-Sawyer, Limón, Mayes, Mullin, Rendon, Salas, Santiago, and Weber)

June 04, 2019

Relative to civil rights.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

ACR 99, as amended, Low. Civil rights: lesbian, gay, bisexual, ~~or transgender~~ transgender, or queer people.

This measure would call upon all Californians to embrace the individual and social benefits of family and community acceptance, upon religious leaders to counsel on LGBTQ matters from a place of love, compassion, and knowledge of the psychological and other harms of conversion therapy, and upon the people of California and the institutions of California with great moral influence to model equitable treatment of all people of the state.

Fiscal Committee: NO

WHEREAS, The California State Legislature has found that being lesbian, gay, bisexual, ~~or transgender~~ transgender, or queer (LGBTQ) is not a disease, disorder, illness, deficiency, or shortcoming; and

WHEREAS, Major professional associations of mental and physical health recognize that being LGBTQ is part of natural variations that occur in sexual orientation and gender identity, and recommend responsive services that foster self-acceptance and skills to cope with social stigma and discrimination; and

WHEREAS, Practices or therapies that attempt to create a change in a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity are often referred to as conversion therapy; and

WHEREAS, Some family, caregivers, and communities promote conversion therapy when a person is known or thought to be LGBTQ; and

WHEREAS, California law recognizes that performing conversion therapy on young persons is ineffective, unethical, and harmful; and

WHEREAS, Conversion therapy has been rejected as ineffective, unethical, and harmful by leading medical, mental health, and child welfare organizations in the United States; and

WHEREAS, The stigma associated with being LGBTQ often created by groups in society, including therapists and religious groups, has caused disproportionately high rates of suicide, attempted suicide, depression, rejection, and isolation amongst LGBTQ and questioning individuals; and

WHEREAS, The State of California has a compelling interest in protecting the physical and psychological well-being of minors, including LGBTQ youth, and in protecting its minors against exposure to serious harms caused by family rejection and attempts to change sexual orientation or gender identity; and

WHEREAS, In a pluralistic society, people differing along spectrums of political and religious perspectives share a common responsibility of protecting the health and well-being of all children and vulnerable communities; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate thereof concurring, That the Legislature calls upon all Californians to embrace the individual and social benefits of family and community acceptance; and be it further

Resolved, That the Legislature calls upon religious leaders to counsel on LGBTQ matters from a place of love, compassion, and knowledge of the psychological and other harms of conversion therapy; and be it further

Resolved, That in addressing the stigma often associated with persons who identify as LGBTQ, we call on the people of California–especially its counselors, pastors, religious workers, educators, and legislators–and the institutions of California with great moral influence–especially its churches, universities, colleges, and other schools, counseling centers, activist groups, and religious centers–to model equitable treatment of all people of the state; and be it further

Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.