Los Angeles — Equality California announced today that it has endorsed Toni Atkins to represent California Senate District 39 (San Diego).
Atkins has a long and distinguished career of “firsts”. She is the first open lesbian to serve as speaker of the California Assembly, and only the third woman to ever hold that leadership position in California. She also served as the first openly lesbian mayor of San Diego, and, while Governor Jerry Brown was on a trade mission abroad, became the first openly-LGBT acting governor of California. In each office in which she has served, she has been a strong voice for women, affordable housing, the homeless, and above all, for California’s LGBT community.
“Toni Atkins broke barriers as the first openly lesbian assembly speaker,” said Rick Zbur, executive director of Equality California. “Throughout her career, in all levels of government, she has never wavered in her commitment to LGBT civil rights and has served as a role model for our youth and for everyone in our community. Our endorsement recognizes Speaker Atkins’ unique and unparalleled advocacy and leadership in advancing LGBT civil rights and social justice throughout her career and as speaker of the California Assembly, including in areas which required great political and personal courage. She has sponsored a number of truly groundbreaking pieces of LGBT legislation, and her career and character have served as an inspirational role model for LGBT youth and people of all ages. Her endorsement also advances one of EQCA’s electoral priorities, to support the best and brightest stars of the LGBT community to increase opportunities for higher statewide office.”
Equality California endorses viable candidates who have a proven track record of supporting equal rights and legal protections for LGBT Californians and who are committed to advancing these goals in their capacity as elected officials.
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Equality California is the nation’s largest statewide lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization dedicated to creating a fair and just society. Our mission is to achieve and maintain full and lasting equality, acceptance, and social justice for all people in our diverse LGBT communities, inside and outside of California. Our mission includes advancing the health and well-being of LGBT Californians through direct healthcare service advocacy and education. Through electoral, advocacy, education and mobilization programs, we strive to create a broad and diverse alliance of LGBT people, educators, government officials, communities of color and faith, labor, business, and social justice communities to achieve our goals. www.eqca.org
