California is designating August as Transgender History Month, starting in August 2024, Fox News reported. This decision, made by the State Assembly, marks California as the first US state to honor transgender history with a special month.
California to recognize ‘Transgender History Month’ for the first time in August 2024
The new law mentions California’s significant role in transgender history, going back to when Spanish colonizers tried to prevent indigenous people from expressing their gender diversity. This event is described as a crucial part of the state’s history. The legislation also recognizes important milestones like the Compton’s Cafeteria Riot, which paved the way for the Stonewall movement, Lou Sullivan’s pioneering work for transgender men, and the creation of the Transgender District in San Francisco in 2017, along with several other key events.
“California has long been the epicenter of the trans liberation movement,” the resolution reads, Them.us reported. Supporting the transgender community by designating August as Transgender History Month will create a culture led by research, education, and scholarly recognition of the contributions of transgender Californians to our great state’s history, and will educate future generations of Californians on the importance of this history.”
The California Assembly Democrats gathered for a press conference right outside the California State Capitol to share the news about the Resolution’s approval on Wednesday. Assembly member Matt Haney, who represents San Francisco and initiated the resolution, was joined by Honey Mahogany and Jupiter Peraza. They’re the co-founder and program associate of the Transgender District, which is officially recognized as the world’s first transgender district.
Transphobia persists despite California’s protections for transgender individuals
Mahogany recognized that even though California has some special protections for transgender individuals, the state still faces the challenge of transphobia.
“Even here in California, where we have a sanctuary state, where we have overwhelmingly Democrats representing us in the capitol, we are still seeing acts of violence. We are still seeing attempts at legislating against our community,” she said.
“And so it’s really important to us that we stop spreading misinformation about the trans community and take this opportunity to actually tell the truth and educate people about who we are and what we need.”
San Francisco made history as the first city to officially acknowledge Transgender History Month back in 2021.
