Date: Sun, 7 Apr 1996 20:51:50 -0400 From: Mary Ann Murphy Subject: CA SB 1964 Following is this month's sample letter on a lesbigay issue it is to be sent to members on the Senate Judiciary Committee: Sen. Charles Calderon, Chair Sen. Tim Leslie email Senator.Leslie@sen.ca.gov Sen. Raymond Haynes email Senator.Haynes@sen.ca.gov Sen. Bill Lockyer email Senator.Lockyer@sen.ca.gov Sen. Henry Mello email Senator.Mello@sen.ca.gov Sen. Jack O'Connell email Senator.OConnell@sen.ca.gov Sen. Nicholas Petris Sen. Hilda L. Solis Sen. Cathie Wright Please let us know if you do call or write in response to this. It helps us know if this effort is effective. The Hon. Tim Leslie The CA State Legislature, Rm 4081 Sacramento, CA 95814 Dear Senator Leslie: Soon the Senate Judiciary Committee will be considering S.B. 1964 (Marks). I am writing to ask that you do all in your power to assure that this bill is approved. S.B. 1964 would amend the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) to ban gender identity based discrimination in employment and housing. It would prohibit discrimination against transgendered people; those persons whose personal perception of gender, and personal expression of gender, often result in discrimination in employment and housing. Senator Marks' bill is not the first to deal with this issue in California. Both San Francisco and Santa Cruz have passed laws banning gender identity based discrimination in housing and employment. Santa Cruz did so over three years ago and San Francisco did in January of 1995. Gender identity based discrimination is a serious problem in California. Even before San Francisco passed its ordinance that city's Human Rights Commission received six to seven formal complaints of gender identity discrimination per year. In the year since San Francisco's law was passed the Commission has received fifty formal complaints. During that same time it has received 150 requests for technical assistance from all over California. These requests came either from transgendered people who were experiencing discrimination or from employers wanting to know what their rights and responsibilities are. S.B. 1964 would do much to clarify these issues for employers. All people should be judged on their individual merits, not on their status as a member of one group or another. Gender identity has nothing to do with whether or not a person would be a good lawyer, chef or secretary. It has nothing to do with whether or not a person would be a good tenant. Gender identity based discrimination should be outlawed and that is what S.B. 1964 would do. I urge you to vote for S.B. 1964. Sincerely,