By Laurie McBride
Saturday
30 May 1998
Dear Activists, Delegates,
Friends and Supporters:
For the past eight years
it has been my honor and privilege to serve as Executive Director of LIFE
Lobby, California's gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, and HIV/AIDS
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The heart of my vision was to
provide a strong lobbying presence in the State Capitol for all our constituencies.
That meant defeating any attempts to limit our civil liberties and access
to healthcare... promoting proactive public policies... the inclusion of
grassroots activism at every level of decision making. It was challenging,
exciting, frustrating, exhilarating - usually all at the same time. Our
work was considered cutting edge in both civil rights and healthcare.
Every year a small number
of legislative measures emerge as the "big issues". Lobbyists consider
themselves lucky to work on such a measure once or twice in a career. I
had the unique opportunity to work on four: AB 101, the Fair Employment
and Housing non-discrimination bill (vetoed, 1991), AB 2601, the Labor
Code non-discrimination bill (signed, 1992), the Domestic Partners bill
(vetoed, 1994), and the defeat of anti-gay marriage legislation (the first
two such measures in 1996).
Although we must never stop
working for the inclusion of our non-discrimination protections under the
Fair Employment and Housing Act, I am still proudest of the enactment of
our Labor Code protections. Even as we wrote the legislation we knew it
wasn't the equivalent of AB 101. But we were determined to get some
protections codified into law. We had no idea how prescient that turned
out to be.
Shortly after enacting AB
2601, two things happened. First, state courts decided that local non-discrimination
ordinances were invalid. Second, the court case that was the basis of including
sexual orientation protections under the Labor Code was de-publ ished (thus
no longer a precedent). So despite its flaws, the Labor Code protections
now stand alone as a guardian for our rights in the workplace.
Other legislation did not
receive the same media hype, but certainly stand out in my memory as lifetime
achievements. Chief among them include work on California's CARE Act Statewide
working Group; increasing appropriations for AIDS funding and the AIDS
Drug Assistance Program (ADAP); the long, torturous road to a law mandating
AIDS education in the schools (5 vetoes!); and the year-in, year-out battles
against the idiotic (mandatory testing, quarantine, no promo homo, yada
yada yada).
All in all, it is an incredible
legacy of success, one that can be measured in both the bills we were able
to fashion and pass, as well as those we were able to stop.
It was my honor to work with
outstanding legislators and advocates throughout. We were helped
along the way by the solidarity of the Black and Latino caucuses. Members
of both were frequently targeted by the rabid right, sometimes finding
their office phone lines jammed for days on end. Fortunately for
us, they recognized the hate for what it was.
More recently we have been
blessed with the election of two open lesbians to the State Assembly, Sheila
Kuehl and Carole Migden. Both are gifted legislators, representing their
districts, as well as our issues, in exemplary fashion. We have also seen
t he rise of new legislative champions. Chief among these are Assembly
Speaker Antonio Villaraigosa and Senate Pro Tem John Burton.
There is not enough space
here to list all the legislative staff who have been part of this history.
Yet one, now Chief of Staff to Senator John Vasconcellos, stands out from
all the rest. First, Rand Martin was my predecessor at LIFE Lobby. Then
he was key staff for Terry Friedman on the two non-discrimination bills.
And every day before, during, and after he finds ways to further our work.
Other lobbyists and coalitions
deserve mention as well. Francisco Lobaco and Matt Coles at the ACLU, Jon
Davidson and Jenny Pizer at Lambda Legal Defense, the lobbyists from NOW
and MALDEF and the unions, the AIDS Budget Coalition, the other coalitions
t hat sprang up around health access issues... so many advocates, all willing
to share their expertise and passion in the pursuit of sound public policies.
Yet day-in and day-out LIFE
Lobby was served by dedicated advocates of its own. Each did all that was
asked of them, and more. Each added their own extraordinary accomplishments.
A special word of thanks is due Rodney Scott, our Development Consultant,
and Sam Catalano, our Operations Manager. Rodney created successful events,
each memorable for their grace and good feeling. Sam brought us (sometimes
kicking and screaming) out o f organizational chaos.
The donors of LIFE Lobby
helped keep the doors open. Christopher Street West, The Bay Area Non-Partisan
Alliance, Bay Area Lawyers for Individual Freedom, Elections Committee
of the County of Orange (ECCO), and Long Beach Gay and Lesbian Pride are
a few of the outstanding delegate organizations who lent not only leaders,
but strong financial support. Two individual donors stand out in
particular: Bob Craig and Jim Hormel, both long-time friends and philanthropists
extraordinaire.
Last, but certainly not least,
I thank each of you for being part of that legacy, in the role of Board
member, LIFE Lobby Delegate and/or activist. Thank you for allowing
us to work on your behalf. It has been my privilege to meet, and in many
cases befriend, some of the very best people in our movement.
This particular transition
-- the closing of LIFE Lobby -- has been a most difficult time for all
involved. Too much rumor, too much finger pointing, even a conspiracy theory
or two. But ultimately that does little to honor the work we have done
togethe r... and even less toward taking up the tasks left undone.
Analyzing past mistakes should
have only one goal: increasing the sophistication and savvy of our movement
in the future. For those of us who grieve the loss of LIFE Lobby, a thousand
"what if" scenarios play out in our minds every day. The work we did so
well as a lobby was never matched in visibility or in fundraising. Why?
The answers are not simple. Yet the lessons we learn from this trauma hold
the key to our future endeavors.
We must build on the legacy
of success. The work must go on. We must take every scrap of hard fought
knowledge to work in strengthening our statewide work. Our equality, the
recognition of our families, the lives of those living with HIV and AIDS
-- all this is at stake.
If you have questions or
concerns about particular legislative issues, please check with the offices
of Sheila Kuehl and Carole Migden. I've sent LIFE's Civil Rights legislative
list to Sheila Kuehl (and Jen Richard in her office), and the HIV/healthcar
e list to Carole Migden (and Alan Lofaso in her office).
In the immediate future your
Lobby staff is scattering... Ellen has been accepted to law school, Eric
and Sam Catalano are both looking for work in the Capitol - as legislative
aides or lobbyists. For me personally, it's time for a break... to take
car e of my own serious health concerns, spend quality time with my loving
partner, Donna Yutzy... and heal on many levels.
Thank you for your passion
and commitment to the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, and HIV/AIDS
movements. Keep up the great work. And may the days ahead bless each of
us with greater wisdom, understanding and success in all our endeavors.
All the best,
Laurie McBride
LIFE
Lobby & Institute
E-mail: life.info@lifelobby.org
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