Equality California

SAN FRANCISCO — Opponents of a new California law that gives transgender students certain rights said Sunday that they had collected enough signatures for an initiative that would repeal the law.

Transgender rights advocates are taking aim at the Chairman of the Jelly Belly company after learning that he donated thousands of dollars to the campaign to repeal California’s landmark transgender student rights law.

SAN FRANCISCO — An effort to overturn a new law allowing transgender students to choose which school restrooms they use and whether to play boys or girls sports got a boost Friday when a major player in the passage of California’s now-defunct same-sex marriage ban threw its support behind the campaign.

The reports of the death of Equality California (EQCA) are greatly exaggerated, the nonprofit’s new boss tells San Diego Gay & Lesbian News. Like Mark Twain once did, John O’Connor, who became EQCA’s executive director about six weeks ago, is dispelling rumors about the health of the organization.

SAN FRANCISCO — A federal judge on Tuesday denied a request by an anti-LGBT group to postpone the January 1, 2013 start of California’s new law banning controversial gay-to-straight conversion, or “reparative” therapy, for LGBT youth.

After a year without a permanent executive director, the statewide LGBT lobbying group Equality California announced Wednesday that the board of directors has selected John O’Connor, who currently serves as the executive director of the LGBT Community Center of the Desert in Palm Springs, to fill the position.

Two LGBT advocacy groups, the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) and Equality California, filed court papers late Friday seeking to intervene in a federal lawsuit challenging the new California law protecting LGBT youth from “gay-to-straight” reparative therapy.

SAN FRANCISCO — California Governor Jerry Brown (D) on Friday signed a bill to ensure that women in same-sex relationships and single women can access fertility services on the same terms as women in opposite-sex relationships.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Legislation designed protect LGBT minors from what critics charge is harmful and ineffective ex-gay therapy, advanced through a California state Senate Committee on Monday.

Say what you will about Bank of America, but they gave their LGBT employees a pretty remarkable gift this week. A phony anti-gay survey backfires in Washington when voters refuse to fall for discriminatory talking points. Turmoil at Equality California with a surprise resignation, and it’s all hands on deck right now in Maryland.