Sen. Roy Ashburn, R-Bakersfield, joined enough Democrats in the state Senate today to approve a resolution declaring June 2010 Lesbian, Bisexual, Gay and Transgender Pride Month.
The Bakersfield Republican acknowledged publicly in March that he is homosexual. He had been arrested on a DUI after leaving a Sacramento gay bar and decided subsequently to reveal that he is gay.
Sen. Christine Kehoe, D-San Diego, is the author of SR 44, and she said Thursday she was joined in support for the resolution by Ashburn and Sen. Mark Leno, D-San Francisco. All three legislators are gay. The measure passed on a 25-9 vote.
June is the month when gay communities in many cities hold gay pride celebrations.
"True equality is still out of reach for many LBGT people," Kehoe said, who still feel forced to hide their identity and are not allowed to marry.
Leno suggested that gay rights now have more public acceptance - to the point where even socially conservative legislators at an event on Tuesday night could engage in friendly banter about gay colleagues.
On Tuesday night, at a "roast" of Senate leader Darrell Steinberg, GOP Senate leader Dennis Hollingsworth joked about his surprise that Assembly Speaker John A. Perez was gay.
"A gay Latino coming out of the LA rough-and-tumble union politics? The next thing you'll be telling me there's gay Republicans in Bakersfield," Hollingsworth joked.
Leno said Thursday, "We are among every family. . . and different political persuasions."
Latest posts:
About Comments
Reader comments on Sacbee.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Sacramento Bee. If you see an objectionable comment, click the "report abuse" button below it. We will delete comments containing inappropriate links, obscenities, hate speech, and personal attacks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. See more about comments here.