HR 57
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Date of Hearing: August 31, 2023
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON RULES
James Ramos, Chair
HR 57 (Haney) – As Introduced August 29, 2023
SUBJECT: Transgender History Month.
SUMMARY: Declares the month of August of each year as Transgender History Month.
Specifically, this resolution makes the following legislative findings:
1) The suppression of gender variance among indigenous California cultures by Spanish and
later Anglo settlers was a foundational event of the history of the state, as documented in the
journal of soldier Pedro Fages, who wrote in 1775 about native peoples he encountered near
present-day San Diego, whom he described as “those Indian men who, both here and farther
inland, observed in the dress, clothing, and character of women… They are called joyas, and
they are held in great esteem.”
2) The social fluidity of Gold Rush-era California attracted countless people who lived
transgender lives in the mid-19th century, including legendary stagecoach driver Charley
Parkhurst, whose life story was celebrated in the popular television show Death Valley Days,
hosted by Ronald Reagan.
3) San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood has been known as a residential district for
transgender people since the second half of the 19th century, when it was home to people
such as “Jenny O.,” a trans woman who corresponded with the famous German sexologist
Magnus Hirschfeld about her life in the Tenderloin.
4) The 1959 Cooper Do-nuts Riot in Los Angeles and the 1966 Compton’s Cafeteria Riot in
San Francisco were important acts of collective resistance to police violence targeting trans
people, years before the better-known Stonewall Riot in New York.
5) The 1973 West Coast Lesbian Conference at UCLA became the first national flashpoint for
trans issues in the women’s movement when attendees voted on whether to accept the
participation of trans lesbian singer Beth Elliott.
6) Legendary media scholar and Jimi Hendrix’s recording engineer, Sandy Stone, launched the
academic field of transgender studies with her “Posttranssexual Manifesto” while earning her
PhD in History of Consciousness Studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz in 1987.
7) In 2017 San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood became home to the world’s first legally
recognized transgender cultural district, which serves to create an urban environment that
empowers transgender individuals residing in the neighborhood through cultural, economic,
and historical preservation initiatives.
8) Despite the national recognition of LGBTQ+ history month, there is no proper representation
and emphasis on the imperative leadership of transgender individuals in the fight for
LGBTQ+ rights throughout history, and the transgender community substantially trails
behind the level of inclusion and acceptance afforded to the broader LGBT community.
 HR 57
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9) Despite awareness of influence on other movements categorized by resistance and liberation,
prominent portions of transgender history remain undiscovered, unrecognized, and outside
mainstream consciousness.
10) California has long been the epicenter of the trans liberation movement, possessing suitable
historical qualities sufficient for the recognition of Transgender History Month as an
opportunity to provide education, insight, and awareness of the monumental contributions to
Golden State history by transgender Californians.
11) The month of August has particular significance to the trans community as it is the month
when the Compton’s Cafeteria Riots are commemorated. 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.
FISCAL EFFECT: None
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:
Support
None on file
Opposition
None on file
Analysis Prepared by: Michael Erke / RLS. / (916) 319-2800