Statement by NCLR Executive Director Kate Kendell
(San Francisco, CA, December 3, 2010)—Today, Equality California Executive Director Geoff Kors announced that he will step down from his position on March 31, 2011, after nine years with the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender equality organization that he shaped into one of the most effective political advocacy organizations in the country.
Under his leadership, Equality California was able to work with the dedicated pro-equality members of the California Legislature to achieve countless victories, including: helping enact 71 pieces of pro-LGBTQ legislation, more than any other organization of its kind in the country; helping pass comprehensive domestic partnership legislation for the first time in the nation without a court order; and helping pass marriage equality bills twice that would have allowed same-sex couples to marry.
Kors was also instrumental in successfully fighting to achieve the broadest protections for transgender people in the nation, including laws that prohibit discrimination based on gender identity in employment, housing, and public accommodations, and making California the first state to prohibit discrimination in insurance based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
Kors was also instrumental in successfully fighting to achieve the broadest protections for transgender people in the nation, including laws that prohibit discrimination based on gender identity in employment, housing, and public accommodations, and making California the first state to prohibit discrimination in insurance based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
A statement by NCLR’s Executive Director Kate Kendell:
“By any objective measure, Geoff is the most accomplished political strategist and legislative advocate in our movement, and he has created a blueprint for other states to follow for how to win equality that will continue to benefit our community for years to come. That is his legacy to the LGBTQ movement.
It’s hard to imagine anyone filling his shoes. We are going to face some tough fights: schools and curriculum; issues affecting LGBTQ folks in prison; the gap between the experience of rural and urban LGBTQ Californians; and the ongoing work of building effective coalitions around race, class, and other social justice issues. Equality California will need another strong, determined, and strategic leader. I trust they will find the right person, but it won’t be easy to find someone who can follow Geoff’s impressive example.”
The National Center for Lesbian Rights is a national legal organization committed to advancing the civil and human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people and their families through litigation, public policy advocacy, and public education.
