“As long as there has been a California, there have been transgender people here contributing to their communities, making history in expanding civil rights, and helping to build a California that is more inclusive and prosperous for everyone,” Haney said during a press conference.
“That is the history today that we are very proud to celebrate and that California will celebrate and uplift from this year and every year as we declare the first state to have an official transgender history month here in our state,” he added.
Honey Mahogany, who chairs the San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee, said during the news conference that the recognition is meant to “tell the truth and educate people about who we are and what we need.”
“All across this country, we have been seeing attacks on the trans community, but it’s not just in other states,” Mahogany said. “Even here in California where we have a sanctuary state, where we have, overwhelmingly, Democrats representing us in the capitol, we are still seeing acts of violence, still seeing attempts at legislating against our community.”
Many of the legislative battles related to transgender issues have focused on parental rights, religious freedom, and the protection of minors. Just this week, a California judge temporarily blocked the Chino Valley Unified School District from enforcing a policy that required staff members to keep parents informed about whether their children are identifying as transgender.
California lawmakers are also considering new laws to restrict parental rights concerning transgender issues.