Senator Wiener's Statement on Governor Brown's Signing of SB 219, the LGBT Senior Bill of Rights

October 4, 2017

San Francisco –  Today Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) issued the following statement after Governor Jerry Brown signed Senate Bill 219, which Senator Wiener authored to create an LGBT Senior Bill of Rights for residents of long-term care facilities:

“Our LGBT seniors built the modern LGBT community and led the fight for so many of the rights our community takes for granted today. It is our duty to make sure they can age with the dignity and respect they deserve. I want to thank Governor Brown for joining our coalition in supporting this bill, which will make a real difference in people’s lives. The LGBT Senior Bill of Rights is an important step in our fight to ensure all people are treated equally regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.”

SB 219 protects LGBT seniors from discrimination in long-term care facilities, such as a facility refusing to use a resident’s preferred name or pronoun, denying admission to a long-term care facility, transferring a resident within a facility or to another facility based on anti-LGBT attitudes of other residents, or evicting or involuntarily discharging a resident from a facility, on the basis of a person’s actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, or HIV status.  In addition, the bill requires that all long-term care facilities post a notice regarding this form of discrimination where its current non-discrimination policy is posted.

SB 219 was sponsored by Equality California, and was co-authored by Assemblymembers David Chiu (D-San Francisco), Sabrina Cervantes (D-Corona), Todd Gloria (D-San Diego), and Ash Kalra (D-San Jose.) 

Links:

SB 219 – Bill Text

SB 219 – Fact Sheet

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