HR 113
Page 1
Date of Hearing: August 5, 2024
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON RULES
Blanca Pacheco, Chair
HR 113 (Haney) – As Introduced July 3, 2024
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 two-
spirit, transgender, gender-expansive, and intersex (2STGI) 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 2STGI 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 2STGI individuals in the fight for LGBTQ+
rights throughout history, and the 2STGI community substantially trails behind the level of
inclusion and acceptance afforded to the broader LGBT+ community.
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9) Despite awareness of influence on other movements categorized by resistance and liberation,
prominent portions of 2STGI 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 2STGI 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 2STGI community
by designating August as Transgender History Month will create a culture led by research,
education, and scholarly recognition of the contributions of 2STGI Californians to our great
state’s history, and will educate future generations of Californians on the importance of this
history.
FISCAL EFFECT: This resolution is keyed non-fiscal by Legislative Counsel.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:
Support
None on file
Opposition
None on file
Analysis Prepared by: Michael Erke / RLS. / (916) 319-2800