Equality California (EQCA) and Assemblyman David Chiu (D-San Francisco) have introduced Assembly Bills 959 and 960, which address concerns voiced by the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities regarding services overseen by state agencies.

AB 959, the LGBT Disparities Reduction Act, requires specific state agencies to collect voluntary information about sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) in the regular course of collecting other types of demographic data. AB 960, the Equal Protection for All Families Act, modernizes the state’s assisted reproduction laws to ensure all couples using assisted reproduction are fully recognized as parents.

“These new bills are crucial to advancing equality for LGBT Californians,” EQCA executive director Rick Zbur said. “The LGBT Disparities Reduction Act aims to address the substantial health and well-being disparities between LGBT people and the broader community. Having government agencies collect information about sexual orientation and gender identity, as they do on other important characteristics, is necessary to assure that LGBT community needs are being met. The Equal Protection for All Families Act builds on earlier efforts to make all families equal in California. No matter how they conceive, LGBT parents using assisted reproduction should be recognized equally as parents, and that is what this does.”

AB 959 and AB 960 are expected to have their first policy committee hearings in late March or April.

“LGBT couples and modern families are invisible in California’s family law because of outdated assisted reproduction laws,” Chiu said. “AB 960 will treat them equally by giving all couples, married or not, the opportunity to grow their family in California. Fully understanding LGBT communities and recognizing California’s modern families is long overdue.”