By ANUSHA SHANKAR, City News Service
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, June 25, officially threw its support behind proposed legislation that would establish a California LGBTQ+ Commission.
Assembly Bill 3031 would create a commission “that represents California’s diverse LGBTQ+ community and shines a light on the unique challenges that LGBTQ+ people face,” according to a motion by Supervisors Lindsey Horvath and Hilda Solis.
The proposed commission would advise the state Legislature and governor on policy matters, collect data, review and assess programs, and provide recommendations that respond to the needs of the LGBTQ+ community, according to the motion.
The motion calls California a “national leader” in the fight for LGBTQ+ civil rights, having passed laws that protect gender-affirming care, expanded inclusive education and anti-discrimination protections that include sexual orientation and gender identity.
In June last year, the board adopted a motion by Supervisors Solis and Janice Hahn to create an LGBTQ+ Commission in Los Angeles County, which recently held its first meeting.
Similar efforts have been made by local governments like city of West Hollywood’s Lesbian and Gay Advisory Board, which was reconstituted as the LGBTQ+ Commission in 2022. In 2009, West Hollywood created the Transgender Advisory Board, while the city of Los Angeles created the Transgender Advisory Council.
According to the motion, 520 anti-LGBTQ+ bills were introduced across the country in 2023 in more than 40 states, 84 of which were signed into law. In June alone, 490 such bills have been proposed, according to the motion.
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“The commission will be an important demonstration of California’s commitment to being a civil rights leader and will help ensure that the voices of the most vulnerable members in our community are heard at the highest levels of government,” the motion reads.
If AB 3031 is passed, the commission will convene quarterly meetings to identify statewide needs of the LGBTQ+ community and offer supportive policies and initiatives, beginning in July 1, 2025.
The bill has already passed in the Assembly and in the Senate Judiciary Committee. It still needs to be heard by the Senate Governmental Organization Committee and the full Senate.