Bill Text: CA SR70 | 2023-2024 | Regular Session | Introduced

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

---

Bill Title: Relative to Transgender Day of Visibility.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 12-0)

Status: (Passed) 2024-03-18 - Read. Adopted. (Ayes 32. Noes 5. Page 3325.) [SR70 Detail]

Download: California-2023-SR70-Introduced.html

---

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2023–2024 REGULAR SESSION

Senate Resolution

No. 70

---

Introduced by Senator Atkins

February 20, 2024

---

Relative to Transgender Day of Visibility.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

SR 70, as introduced, Atkins.

Digest Key

---

Bill Text

WHEREAS, Over one million Americans, including over 300,000 Californians are Trans, Gender Nonconforming, or Intersex (TGI) and have overcome significant hardships to build vibrant and thriving communities, often in the face of systemic and interpersonal prejudice, discrimination, and violence; and

WHEREAS, The International Transgender Day of Visibility encompasses a large community of people, including people who identify as transgender, gender nonconforming, nonbinary, or intersex; and

WHEREAS, While Transgender Day of Remembrance was established in 1998 to honor the trans community’s pain and memorialize trans people murdered due to antitransgender hate, the International Transgender Day of Visibility was subsequently founded over a decade later to celebrate TGI people and center joy, hope, and TGI identities; and

WHEREAS, TGI people have existed throughout history, held prominent cultural and spiritual positions within their communities, and greatly contributed to societies all across the world, including ancient Greece, medieval Europe, North America, Africa, Asia, Indonesia, Polynesia, and even the United States of America during its founding years; and

WHEREAS, TGI people throughout history have included the Gala, androgynous and transgender priests of the Sumerian goddess Inanna from 5,000 to 3,000 B.C.; Anastasia the Patrician of Alexandria, formerly a lady-in-waiting to an empress who transitioned to presenting masculinely and living as a monk in the fourth century; We’wha, a celebrated Two Spirit Zuni spiritual leader, cultural ambassador, and Native American advocate in the 1800s; and Stephanie Haskins, who became one of the oldest known people to transition by gender affirmation surgery in 2022; and

WHEREAS, Visibility for TGI people comes in a variety of forms, such as showcasing TGI stories through art, storytelling, and media; TGI people sharing their affirmed names with their families, loved ones, and colleagues; pushing back against attempts to erase the TGI community by organizing demonstrations and moving throughout the world openly and authentically; and uplifting the power and beauty of TGI people by elevating positive narratives that highlight trans joy, love, and community; and

WHEREAS, As a result of community activism, determined advocacy, and undeniable talent, TGI people continue to tear down systemic barriers set up to exclude them and serve as community and educational leaders, reach the highest levels of athletic competition, star in award-winning film and television, and hold prominent government positions; and

WHEREAS, In California and across the country, TGI people have courageously and powerfully organized in response to increased hate and violence directed at the TGI community, especially towards trans women of color, yet continue to receive a lack of mainstream coverage, recognition, and respect; and

WHEREAS, Celebrating visibility must also come with a recognition that visibility and representation are not substitutes for justice and TGI people, particularly TGI youth and trans women of color, continue to face profound threats to their safety and well-being; and

WHEREAS, The Senate acknowledges that for many, visibility can mean an increased likelihood of harm, and for each TGI person killed or lost this year and in years past we mourn them, we honor them, and we say their names; and

WHEREAS, The TGI community continues to experience structural discrimination in many forms, including in the workplace and in schools, and moreover TGI people continue to face disproportionately high rates of violence, poverty, homelessness, and negative health outcomes, and we furthermore recognize how the intersectional dimensions of these issues exacerbate oppressive conditions for TGI people of color; and

WHEREAS, Within a year’s span of Transgender Day of Remembrance 2022 to Transgender Day of Remembrance 2023, at least 33 known and reported TGI people were killed in the United States; and

WHEREAS, The Senate also celebrates the beauty and resilience of TGI people today and throughout history, and recognizes that TGI people have a rich tradition of contributing in myriad ways to the betterment of our society and our state, often working at the forefront of social justice activism and human rights work; and

WHEREAS, TGI people, and in particular trans women of color, including Sylvia Rivera, Miss Major, and Marsha P. Johnson, were instrumental in the foundation of the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement in the United States, from the 1965 Dewey lunch counter protests in Philadelphia to the Stonewall riots in 1969 to the creation of groundbreaking new civil rights organizations; and

WHEREAS, The activism of brave TGI Americans challenged social and political norms that had forced many to live in secrecy out of fear, endure coercive medical and psychological treatments, and face legal barriers to employment and housing opportunities; and

WHEREAS, Civil rights victories won by TGI activists have expanded judicial recognition of constitutional protections for gender identity and expression, and provided a greater number of people with the basic protections needed to ensure human dignity and self-determination; however, these rights are still not universally guaranteed, with laws varying by state and locality and regressive measures still being pursued; and

WHEREAS, The Senate recognizes and celebrates the innovative ongoing work being done by TGI organizations to build inclusive restorative spaces and to fight for the safety and dignity of those who often remain vulnerable in the margins, including people with disabilities, undocumented people, and those who are incarcerated; and

WHEREAS, While California is leading the way in defending the rights and safety of TGI people, our state is not immune to the national wave of antitransgender hate, violence, and political attacks; California’s commitment to the TGI community is needed even more in the face of rising extremism and hostility here and across the country; and

WHEREAS, Nationally, there were over 500 anti-LGBTQ+ bills introduced in state legislatures across the country during the 2023 legislative year, and there are already nearly 400 anti-LGBTQ+ bills introduced in state legislatures across the nation during the first month of the 2024 legislative year; and

WHEREAS, The aforementioned anti-LGBTQ+ bills disproportionately target TGI people and include efforts to prohibit access to lifesaving gender-affirming medical care, prevent TGI youth from playing school sports alongside their friends, erase TGI identities from vital records and state driver’s licenses, ban books that include TGI people and history, prohibit TGI people from using restrooms and facilities in accordance with their gender identity, and criminalize TGI people who bravely embrace their authentic selves amid rising hostility; and

WHEREAS, According to the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law, the legal landscape for trans youth shifted significantly in 2023, and 105,200 trans youth, about one-third of trans youth in the United States, live in states that ban access to gender-affirming care; 101,500 trans youth, about one-third of trans youth in the United States, live in states that restrict access to school sports for trans students; and 32,700 trans youth live in states that ban trans students from using school bathrooms and other facilities that align with their gender identity; and

WHEREAS, Antitransgender legislation, executive actions, local ordinances, school policies, and rhetoric endanger the psychological and emotional well-being of TGI youth, with 86 percent of TGI youth reporting these action negatively impacted their mental health, as well as 45 percent reporting they experienced online harassment, 24 percent reporting they were bullied in school, 27 percent reporting they have been physically threatened or harmed due to their gender identity, and 64 percent reporting that they have felt discriminated against due to their gender identity; and

WHEREAS, Discriminatory legislation, executive actions, local ordinances, school policies, and rhetoric across the country and here in California have all contributed to rising hate and violence directed against members of the TGI community, in particular Black trans women, prompting a number of civil rights organizations to declare an epidemic of violence against Black trans women; and

WHEREAS, The latest Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) annual crime report showed that anti-LGBTQ+ hate crimes were up sharply from the prior year, with a 13.8-percent increase in reports based on sexual orientation and a 32.9-percent increase in reports based on gender identity; and

WHEREAS, The FBI reported hate crime rates among LGBTQ+ victims, particularly TGI victims, are likely incomplete as cities and states across the nation are reporting incomplete or inaccurate data, or no data at all, on hate crimes committed against the LGBTQ+ community; and

WHEREAS, From June 2022 to April 2023, inclusive there were over 350 incidents of reported anti-LGBTQ+ hate and extremism in the United States, with California having one of the highest total number of incidents in the country; and

WHEREAS, TGI people are parents, siblings, children, family, friends, and colleagues all deserving of human dignity, safety, and support; and

WHEREAS, In California, we believe in and reaffirm the inherent value of each and every resident of our state, especially our TGI residents, without exception; and

WHEREAS, In California, we believe it is ever more critical to uplift and support our TGI residents and reaffirms their right to live visibly, openly, and authentically, without exception; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, That the Senate hereby proclaims March 31, 2024, as Transgender Day of Visibility; and be it further

Resolved, That the Senate hereby proclaims the week of March 18, 2024 through March 22, 2024, as Transgender Week of Visibility in the Capitol; and be it further

Resolved, That the Senate joins communities across our nation to increase awareness about the importance of removing systemic barriers to TGI individuals and upholding human rights for all; and be it further

Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution. .