Tuesday, February 25, 2014

AB 1266 Repeal Referendum Fails To Qualify For 2014 Ballot!

Great news out of California!  The Forces of Intolerance-California Division have failed in their mission to overturn AB 1266!  

The School Success and Opportunity Act was signed by Gov. Jerry Brown August 13 and took effect January 1.   It requires that the gender identity of trans students in grades K-12 is recognized and they have access to facilities, activities and sports teams based on their gender identity

Of course the right wing haters didn't like that, and mobilized in an effort to get AB 1266 repealed. The spot check was at just a high enough percentage to move the verification process to the next step of verifying all the signatures and cause concern for the trans community and our allies in California and across the nation. 

The Orwellian named Privacy For All Students opponents were spearheaded by NOM's Frank Schubert, who orchestrated the Prop 8 repeal campaign. 

PFAS needed at least 504,760 signatures to force a public vote on AB 1266 and get the repeal referendum placed on the November 2014 ballot.   Had that happened, it was sure to be a just as nasty and divisive a campaign as the Prop 8 one was.

PFAS submitted 619,387 signatures, but California county election officers determined that just 487,484 of them were valid, according to a final count posted on secretary of state Debra Bowen's (D) website.

Translation: they failed.to qualify.

While the PFAS anti-trans coalition is telling their supporters they will continue the fight against AB 1266, the Support All Students Campaign that introduced and passed the law is celebrating along with transpeople across the country.

Said Transgender Law Center Executive Director and Campaign Chair Masen Davis: “This law gives schools the guidelines and flexibility to create an environment where all kids have the opportunity to learn. We need to focus on creating an environment where every student is able to do well and graduate. This law is about doing what’s best for all students — that’s why it’s supported by school boards, teachers, and the PTA.”
- See more at: http://www.frontiersla.com/frontiers-blog/2014/02/24/breaking-frank-schubert-loses-effort-to-overturn-trans-student-law-fails#sthash.6Dxaluu5.dpuf

And the big winners today are the trans students in California.

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