Two Transgender Rights Bills Pass California Assembly!

School Success and Opportunity Act

Transgender Law Center commended the California Assembly today for passing The School Success and Opportunity Act (AB 1266), introduced by Assemblymember Tom Ammiano.

The bill, which is co-sponsored by Equality California, Transgender Law Center, Gender Spectrum, GSA Network and the National Center for Lesbian Rights, addresses the exclusion of transgender students from classes and activities, and clarifies existing anti-discrimination law to provide clear protections to transgender students.

California law already prohibits discrimination in education, but transgender students are still unfairly excluded from physical education, athletic teams, and other school activities and facilities. This exclusion negatively impacts students’ ability to succeed in school and graduate with their class. For example, physical education classes help students develop healthy fitness habits and teach values like teamwork and fair competition – and count toward graduation as much as any other course. Read more>

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AB 1121

Assembly Bill 1121, authored by Assemblymember Toni Atkins and co-sponsored by Transgender Law Center and Equality California, was passed by the Assembly today by a vote of 54-16. The bill will help ensure people who are transgender have access to identity documents that accurately reflect the name and gender that correspond to their gender identity.

“Transgender people are entitled to have their official documents and their legal name reflect their true identity without a burdensome and expensive process that endangers their personal safety,” said Atkins. Read more>