EQCA and NCLR to Participate in Event on Increasing Access to Family Building for LGBT and Single Parents

(San Francisco) On Thursday, November 29, Equality California and the National Center for Lesbian Rights will join prospective parents, families, health providers, and community organizations for an evening of celebration and education at an event that will honor the courageous, visionary leadership of AB 2356 author Assemblymember Nancy Skinner. AB 2356, signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown on September 24, 2012, allows people seeking to conceive using a known sperm donor access to certain fertility services on the same terms as different-sex couples. This bill is a historic achievement for same-sex couples, single women, and transgender men trying to conceive through insemination with a known donor. The event will also recognize the staff of EQCA, NCLR, and the many organizations, health providers, and families who told their stories and helped in the passage of AB 2356.

“AB 2356 removes the obstacles that LGBT and single women faced when they sought medically-assisted insemination,” said Assemblymember Nancy Skinner.  “I am proud to have authored legislation that will eliminate those barriers and level the playing field for all women seeking medical services in their effort to conceive.”

 

“The decisions regarding building a family are a core freedom in California. Same-sex couples have faced many barriers in forming families, including unequal access to fertility healthcare,” said Clarissa Filgioun, Equality California Board President. “This unequal treatment has, heartbreakingly, denied many couples the opportunity to conceive a child of their own. Signing AB 2356 works to remedy that disparity, putting the joy of having a child and building a family within the reach of all loving families. We thank Assemblymember Skinner for her leadership on this bill and Governor Brown for removing one more barrier to a state of equality.”

“This new law will allow many LGBT people to access an affordable, effective fertility service, and will greatly benefit many families who would otherwise be unable to conceive children,” said National Center for Lesbian Rights Family Protection Project Director Cathy Sakimura, Esq.

The event will take place from 6:00 to 8:00 PM at the Rockwood Leadership Institute, 426 17th St, 4th Floor, Oakland, CA. Featured speakers include Assemblymember Nancy Skinner, introduced by Maddie Flood of Rockwood Leadership Institute; Leland Traiman, RN of Rainbow Flag Health Services, introduced by Keiko Lane, MFT and Lisa Denenmark of City Visions, KALW; Kim Klausner, co-producer of the documentary film “Choosing Children” (GroundSpark Films, 1984), introduced by Maya Scott-Chung, MPH; Legal update and Q&A with National Center for Lesbian Rights Family Protection Project Director Cathy Sakimura, Esq., and Alice Kessler of Equality California. The program will include an open mic time for families, health providers and others to speak about the importance of the passage and implementation of AB 2356.

The event will be live broadcast from 6:30-7:30 pm with Michelle Meow from SWIRL RADIO www.SwirlRadio.com. 

 

RSVPs should be directed to Maya Scott-Chung at 510.381.0876 or EqualFertilityAccess@gmail.com, and online reservations can be made at http://AB2356FamilyBuildingAccess.Eventbrite.com. 

 

Event co-sponsors include:

Hosts: Rockwood Leadership Institute  www.rockwoodleadership.org

Alameda County Paul Robeson Chapter of the Northern California American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) www.paulrobesonaclu.org

Arizmendi Bakery www.arizmendibakery.org

CA LGBT Health and Human Services Network & Health Access http://www.eqcai.org/site/c.mtJYJbMKIoE/b.4442755/k.B995/Health.htm

Charles Spiegel Law www.charlesspiegellaw.com

Children of LGBTQ Parents Everywhere (COLAGE) www.colage.org

Deborah Wald Esq http://waldlaw.net/

Equality California (EQCA) www.eqca.org

GayFutureDads www.gayfuturedads.org

GroundSpark: Igniting Change through Film www.groundspark.org

Keiko Lane, MFT www.keikolanemft.com

Laurel Fertility Care www.laurelfertility.com

Lolo Health Center www.lolocenter.com

Maia Midwifery and Fertility Services http://www.maiamidwifery.com/

Michelle Borok, LM, Take Root Home Insemination Services http://michelleborok.com/take-root/

National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) www.nclrights.org

Our Family Coalition (OFC) www.ourfamily.org

Rainbow Flag Health Services http://www.gayspermbank.com/

STRONG FAMILIES/Forward Together http://forwardtogether.org/strong-families

The Donor Source www.TheDonorSOURCE.com

The Surrogacy Source www.TheSurrogacySOURCE.com

Transgender Law Center www.transgenderlawcenter.org

Equality California (EQCA) is the largest statewide lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender advocacy organization in California. Over the past decade, Equality California has strategically moved California from a state with extremely limited legal protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people to a state with some of the most comprehensive protections in the nation. Equality California has partnered with legislators to successfully sponsor more than 90 pieces of pro-equality legislation. EQCA continues to advance equality through legislative advocacy, electoral work, public education and community empowerment. www.eqca.org

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. www.nclrights.org