Bill Text: CA SR127 | 2017-2018 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Relative to the 40th Year of the Defeat of the Briggs Initiative.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-08-30 - Introduced. Referred to Com. on RLS. [SR127 Detail]
Download: California-2017-SR127-Introduced.html
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE—
2017–2018 REGULAR SESSION
| Senate Resolution | No. 127 |
| Introduced by Senator Wiener |
August 30, 2018 |
Relative to the 40th Year of the Defeat of the Briggs Initiative.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SR 127, as introduced, Wiener.
Digest Key
Bill Text
WHEREAS, On November 7, 1978, the people of California were faced with a choice of whether or not the voters would approve the first statewide anti-LGBT proposition in the United States; and
WHEREAS, Inspired by the hateful campaigns of Anita Bryant in Florida, Proposition 6, sponsored by State Senator John Briggs, also known as the Briggs Initiative, was placed on the ballot in an effort to ban gays and lesbians, and those who were supportive of them, from working in our public schools; and
WHEREAS, The measure received opposition from then-Governor Jerry Brown, President Jimmy Carter, former President Gerald Ford, and former Governor Ronald Reagan; and
WHEREAS, Because of the relentless and tireless efforts of San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk, Sally Gearhart, Tom Ammiano, and countless others, the opposition campaign mobilized under the slogan “Come out! Come out! Wherever you are!” In what became the No on 6 campaign, LGBT individuals went door to door in their cities and towns across the state to talk about the harm the initiative would cause; and
WHEREAS, LGBT individuals came out to their families, neighbors, and coworkers, spoke out in the community, and wrote letters to their newspapers, all in an effort to show that LGBT people were an integral part of the community. The opposition campaign was so successful that public opinion shifted from being in favor of the initiative to opposing it; and
WHEREAS, The measure was defeated in a landslide vote, in which a coalition of moderates, liberals, and conservatives resoundingly rejected this discriminatory initiative, with more than 58 percent of Californians voting in opposition; and
WHEREAS, The contributions of LGBT teachers cannot be erased and should be celebrated, and their commitments to California’s youth should be commended; and
WHEREAS, Their visibility and presence in our classrooms uplift our young LGBT students, who can find in these teachers role models and mentors that guide them through their education and their lives; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, That the Senate commemorates the 40th year of the defeat of the Briggs Initiative and urges all residents to remember the hateful concerted effort to ban lesbian and gay teachers from teaching the students of California; and be it further
Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.
