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Weekly Full Policy Report - 6/21

Pride & Protest 

We protest unlivable conditions and unsustainable circumstances - here and around the world. The freedom to assemble is one of the protections provided by the First Amendment because the power should truly be with the people. 


Why do we protest? Why do we march? Why do we assemble and march and chant and occasionally have signs that quip at the absurd reality we live in? What do we expect to happen?


We march to show grassroots strength and flex community power. We chant to educate folks on particular factoids or realities: We’re here! We’re queer! or What do we want? EQUAL RIGHTS! When do we want it? NOW!


Queer advocates and their allies have always been in the streets fighting. Organizers like Harry Hay, founder of the Mattachine Society in Los Angeles, along with Frank Kameny, founder of the Mattachine Society of Washington, DC, and an astronomer who had been fired from his government job during the Lavender Scare were in the streets with ‘Gay is OK’ signs in the 1950s in the shadow of the Red & Lavender Scares. Feminists and California activists Del Martin & Phyllis Lyon with Daughters of Bilitis were organizing against police raids in San Francisco. These organizers and organizations were fundamental in the journey for civil and queer rights before and after Stonewall in 1969. 


Recently, the No Kings events around the country amassed more than 12 million folks saying no to authoritarianism and autocracy. Again, as Americans have done many times for an array of issues at different times in history. 


We as queer people continue to strategize and act out of hope and humanity that protest will manifest the next steps in advocacy: education, opportunity, policy change. Protest is a mechanism for The People en masse to make their feelings known to those in power. 


LEG UPDATE

It is the 160th Day of the Session. The Legislature has been toying with the budgets they have crafted. Budgets. Plural. Most often, the House and the Senate majority leadership craft One Beautiful Budget to pass and send to the Governor. This year, the chambers have decided to go their separate ways and craft their own moral documents. This will challenge the speed at which the budget is passed through the legislature (conflicts between the House and Senate are sure to foster).


TL;DR: There has been a budget meltdown. The House has adjourned until Monday, June 23. The Senate has passed their budget and sine died (which technically they cannot do without the consent of the House, and yet, here we are!). More than likely, the House will not consent to sine die and continue with their budget process. Messy! We will continue to watch the budget process and keep this space updated. Stay tuned!


SCHOOL BOARD

The Yuma Union High School District Governing Board met on June 11 to discuss banning transgender and nonbinary students from bathrooms that align with their identities. Agenda item 6.5 was central to the campaign of some of the school board candidates; however, the Board met in executive session prior to that item discussion. After the executive session ended, the Board picked up at item 6.7, skipping bathroom bans altogether. 


With limited resources, the Board members reflected that they did not wish to be trailblazers in enacting a bathroom ban. The Board is assured that other districts are working on a policy like this and they are comfortable (for now) letting other districts lead on bathroom bans.



CIVIC LITERACY

No More Kings (Schoolhouse Rock version from 1973) reminds us the foundation of American Democracy is our constitutional separation of powers so there would be no American king. The No Kings movement (2025 version) similarly reminds us that we must all make our voices heard and our march chants LOUD! More than 12 million people took part in the No Kings protest actions across the country on June 14. 



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