Laird Selects Deborah Abbott
27th Assembly District Woman Of The Year 2003

"I am delighted to have the opportunity to showcase Deborah Abbott's contributions to our community on the statewide stage," said Assemblymember Laird.

The festivities will begin at 8:30 A.M. with a breakfast reception hosted by Lieutenant Governor Cruz Bustamante. At 11:00 A.M. the Assembly session will convene for the "Woman of the Year" ceremony. As each honoree's name is called, she will be escorted from the back of the Assembly Chambers by her Assemblymember to the Assembly Desk. At the Desk, Speaker Wesson will present her with a framed resolution. Each member and the Speaker will then pose with the honoree for a photo. Following the floor ceremony for the eighty women, a luncheon will be held at the Sacramento Convention Center.

Ms. Abbott said, "I feel very honored to receive this award -- I'm proud of the work I've done over the years. Yet, I believe, as Noam Chomsky does, that 'the real work is being done by people who are not known. The people who are known are riding the crest of some wave . . . and it's the wave that matters.'"

Biography of Deborah Abbott
Deborah Abbott is a native daughter of the 27th Assembly District. She was born in Carmel in 1953, raised in Monterey in an adobe house her father built, moved to Santa Cruz to attend the University of California, and now makes her home in Boulder Creek with her partner Rebecca Tavish. She is mother to three incredible young adults: Matthew, Forrest, and Jessie. Over the past 30 years, Ms. Abbott has made many valuable and lasting contributions to the Monterey Bay area community as a local activist and champion for the rights of women and children; people with disabilities; and gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people. She was an early member of the Santa Cruz Women's Health Collective, helping to create a feminist inspired clinic; and the founding director of WomenCARE, an organization offering free support to women with cancer. For the past five years Ms. Abbott has been the founding director of the Gay, Lesbian, Bi, Trans Resource Center at UC Santa Cruz, building comprehensive student services from the ground up. UCSC now ranks in the top ten of the nation's 'gay friendly' universities. Ms. Abbott is also a writer whose essays, poetry, and fiction have appeared in numerous publications. She co-authored the best selling book: From Wedded Wife to Lesbian Life (The Crossing Press, 1995). She has been a featured guest on national television and radio programs. As a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist for more than a decade, Ms. Abbott has specialized in helping women and queer folks live happier, healthier lives. She attributes her unflagging activism to her working class values that emphasize hard work and simple pleasures, making lemonade out of lemons, and counting on family and friends for love and laughter at the end of the day.