Community Corner
Equality California Exec Looks Back During Beverly Hills Party
As Geoff Kors steps down from the organization, which seeks to increase the legal protections of gays and lesbians, he recalls its accomplishments at a Beverly Hilton event.
Equality California’s Geoff Kors was at the Beverly Hilton on Thursday for the “2011 Los Angeles Equality Awards Kickoff Party,” where he delivered his final speech as the organization’s executive director.
Kors addressed the current legislation and federal court case to overturn Proposition 8, which provides that “marriage is only valid and recognized between a man and a woman in the state of California.” He also discussed the many accomplishments he has seen throughout his time with Equality California (EQCA).
“We successfully sponsored two marriage laws here in California and are ready to continue fighting this case so that we are prepared for the next ballot,” Kors said at the event. He has worked for nine years as EQCA's executive director.
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Kors told the audience that his belief in equality is “black and white” and that “unions" between same-sex couples, rather than legal marriage, are “just not enough.”
“You’re either equal or you’re not,” Kors said.
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EQCA is also advocating for a law to be passed that will inform teachers about school bullying and how to educate students about the importance of not harassing their peers. These efforts come after the highly publicized death of Rutgers University freshman Tyler Clementi, who committed suicide after being “outed” online by his roommate.
The organization recently helped to pass a law that allows 12- to 17-year-olds to seek professional mental health services without parental consent.
San Francisco-based EQCA has successfully lobbied for more than 60 pieces of civil rights legislation for the LGBT community, more than any other LGBT organization in the nation. The group relies on support from a range of corporate donors such as AT&T, State Farm Insurance and Bank of America.
“We have been sponsoring EQCA since 2009 and it’s been great. State Farm is a very conservative company and it needed to branch out like many of our competitors have," State Farm California Marketing Manager Bobby Wilkinson said at the event. "We are happy to have the opportunity to work with EQCA.”
