PFLAG LA Joins Equality California Advocacy Day in Sacramento
PFLAG Los Angeles joined Equality California and LGBTQ+ advocates from across the state in Sacramento on March 25 for Advocacy Day.
Board members Jethro Nededog and Maddie Reardon spent the day meeting with lawmakers and legislative staff, discussing issues affecting LGBTQ+ people and their families and advocating for bills related to health care, education, privacy, safety, and other areas that can have a direct impact on everyday life.
“This was about making sure lawmakers hear directly from LGBTQ+ people and families,” Nededog said. “When you’re in the room, sharing real experiences, it changes how these issues are understood.”
PFLAG LA Board Members Jethro Nededog, left, and Maddie Reardon at Equality California’s Advocacy Day at the Capitol in Sacramento.
The day began with a press conference before advocates headed into the Capitol for meetings. Equality California provided training beforehand and helped coordinate the legislative visits.
Those meetings can move quickly. Advocates may have only a short window to explain why a particular bill matters, which makes it important to connect policy to the people who are likely to be affected by it.
For PFLAG LA, that means bringing the experiences of LGBTQ+ people, parents, families, and allies into conversations that can otherwise become fairly abstract.
Team meets with Navreen Randhawa, legislative aide to Assemblyman David Alvarez (D) during Equality California Advocay Day at the Capitol in Sacramento.
What We Advocated For
This year’s priorities covered a wide range of issues, from access to transgender health care to privacy protections and support for LGBTQ+ students.
One major budget request called for $26 million to help protect access to transgender health care, including support for providers offering medically necessary care.
Advocates also discussed several pieces of legislation:
AB 908 — LGBTQ+ inclusive curriculum in California schools
AB 1540 — LGBTQ+ crisis support through the 988 hotline
AB 1775 — Housing and employment support for transgender veterans
AB 1836 — Security funding for LGBTQ+ community events
AB 1876 — Protections against discrimination in health care
AB 1930 — Patient privacy protections involving out-of-state investigations
AB 2014 — Protections against gender bias in criminal trials
SB 934 — Expanded legal options for survivors of conversion therapy
SB 1023 — Greater access to injectable PrEP for HIV prevention
SB 1114 — LGBTQ+ data privacy protections
SB 1149 — Bereavement leave that recognizes chosen family
SB 1328 — Expanded LGBTQ+ support in higher education
PFLAG LA Board Member Jethro Nededog lobbies James Murray, a fellow for Senate Minority Leader, Senator Brian Jones (R), during Equality California Advocacy Day.
Why PFLAG LA Was There
Advocacy is one part of PFLAG LA’s work, alongside support and education. Showing up in Sacramento gives the organization a chance to bring what it hears from families and community members into the places where policy decisions are being made.
One meeting is unlikely to change a law on its own. Advocacy is usually more incremental than that. It can mean telling a story, answering a question, or explaining why something that sounds technical on paper matters to an actual family.
Then the work continues.
PFLAG LA is grateful to Equality California for bringing advocates together from across the state and creating opportunities for those conversations to happen.
