Kors, Geoff
Geoff Kors is Executive Director of the Equality California PAC, a sponsored committee of Equality California. EQCA is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, grassroots-based, statewide advocacy organization whose mission is to achieve equality and civil rights of all lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Californians. EQCA is one of the leading statewide LGBT organizations in the country.
Will California's Next Governor and Attorney General Stand Strong Against Prop. 8?
By Geoff Kors
Equality California
Victory is sweet. Last week the U.S. District Court in San Francisco ruled that Proposition 8, which stripped same-sex couples of the freedom to marry, is unconstitutional. We're getting closer by the moment to the day when all loving couples in California will have the same rights, the same responsibilities, the same respect.
We won the first round. The case will now be appealed to the Ninth Circuit Court and possibly all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. We have to keep supporting it as it progresses.
Why November Matters
Who can keep the case on track for a win for equality? You, and two of four people: Jerry Brown or Meg Whitman, Kamala Harris or Steve Cooley.
Yes on 8 Campaign's Fishing Expedition: Why We Must Stand Against Their Hatred
Geoff Kors
Equality California
It's happening again: ProtectMarriage.com and the Yes on 8 campaign are once again harassing organizations that are working to expand the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. In the federal case against Proposition 8, they are requesting tens of thousands of unrelated documents from three organizations that were involved in the No on 8 campaign - Equality California, the Northern California American Civil Liberties Union and Californians Against Eliminating Basic Rights, the organization through which celebrities such as Brad Pitt and Steven Spielberg gave to the campaign.
We have been fighting against this request, and we will continue to do so. We are planning to file an appeal. We have to stand up to the opposition's attempts to harass us and pull us away from our mission.
Ashburn Comes Out, Authors Bill to Increase Medical Access for Underserved Rural Communities
By Geoff Kors
Equality California
The California legislature now has its fifth openly gay legislator. Sen. Roy Ashburn (R-Bakersfield) came out Monday. Last week Ashburn was arrested for DUI. It has been rumored that he was leaving the popular Sacramento nightclub Faces at the time.
Ashburn has regularly voted against the LGBT community. For five of the past six years he has received a score of zero percent on Equality California's (EQCA) legislative scorecards, and one year he received a 10 percent when he voted for a bill authorizing joint tax filing for domestic partners.
President Obama: stop firing gay service members immediately
By Geoff Kors
Equality California
During last night’s State of the Union Address, President Obama included a brief mention of the ongoing struggle against discrimination that the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community continues to face under his watch.
“This year, I will work with Congress and our military to finally repeal the law that denies gay Americans the right to serve the country they love because of who they are. It’s the right thing to do.”
I appreciate President Obama reiterating his commitment to repeal Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, but words do not end discrimination – actions do. We must call on President Obama to immediately cease discharging openly lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender service members and to take a stand for equality in the military.
Historic Bills Expanding LGBT Rights and Resources Become Law
By Geoff Kors
Equality California
On January 1, three new pieces of legislation expanding rights and resources for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community will go into effect in California. Among the new laws, each sponsored by Equality California, include a bill that recognizes the marriage of thousands of same-sex couples regardless of when or where they were married, a bill increasing services to LGBT survivors of domestic violence and a third recognizing the contributions of slain civil rights leader Harvey Milk.
The Marriage Recognition and Family Protection Act, introduced by Senator Mark Leno (D-San Francisco), holds that same-sex couples married in any state or nation anytime before the passage of Proposition 8 must be recognized as married spouses in California, regardless of whether they married in California or in another state or nation.