Santa Cruz Sentinel

Laird, other experts discuss gay issues at State of the Queer Union forum in Santa Cruz

January 13, 2008

Sentinel Staff Report

State legislators made significant gains last year in the fight to bring equal rights to the queer community, but there is still more work ahead.

That was the message Assemblyman John Laird, D-Santa Cruz, brought to about two dozen people gathered Saturday afternoon at a forum called the State of the Queer Union: Think Globally, Organize Locally.

"Overall, we did fairly well," Laird said, though he acknowledged an obvious shortfall: the failure to pass legislation legalizing same-sex marriage in California.

Laird and three others on the panel -- attorneys Eileen Hamilton and Emily Trexel, and Santa Cruz Councilman Mike Rotkin, who represented the local chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union -- explained recent changes to state laws that affect the queer community and what's on the horizon.

As of 2007, state law offers the same legal rights and responsibilities as marriage to same-sex couples registered with the state. The Domestic Partnership Registry affords gay and lesbian couples options such as filing joint tax returns, making health care decisions for one another and sharing spousal insurance policies.

Another piece of legislation makes it easier for people to change their surnames to that of their partner's, and most hospitals in the state now will put the names of gay couple on a child's birth certificate instead of just the parent who is a blood relative.

In addition, Laird said the state earmarked funding for a program to help gay and lesbian victims of domestic violence, and that he continues to rework old state statues to remove discriminatory language.

The panel also discussed differences between California laws and those in other states, and gave advice about how to avoid difficulties in places with less-progressive laws.