History was made recently within the local LGBTQ+ community.
Two openly lesbian woman were recently elected to state office.
Susan Talamantes Eggman was elected to the 13th Assembly District. Cathleen Galgiani, already a lawmaker, was elected to the newly redrawn 5th State Senate District. Galgiani was formally an assembly member.
The fact that these women have been elected to state legislature from the central valley is huge. This shows that views of the general community is changing. LGBTQ+ people are more seen more similar than different and are capable of doing good things for society.
There has also been a lot of news regarding Proposition 8, a California ballot proposition and a state constitutional amendment that passed in Nov. 2008.
The measure added a new provision, Section 7.5 of the Declaration of Rights, to the California Constitution, which provides that only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.
Prop. 8 was ruled to be unconstitutional by the 9th district supreme court in San Francisco earlier this year.
The United States Supreme Court is set to review the case this week. If the court decides not to, the ruling in California will stand.
A number of other states made strides in equality Maine, Washington, Minnesota and Maryland had marriage equality ballot measures pass in November.
The first district Supreme Court has ruled the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is unconstitutional.
DOMA, is a United States federal law that defines marriage as the legal union of one man and one woman for federal and inter-state recognition purposes in the United States.
This has yet to be completely decided just as Prop. 8.
All of these progressive moves made in the United States is a great thing, but it does not mean we can relax.