An attempt by anti-trans activists in California to qualify for a referendum vote on the state's newly enacted law protecting transgender students has failed.
The law, AB 1266, ensures that transgender students have the same opportunities to do well in school and graduate as their peers. AB 1266 went into effect January 1st, 2014, and provides guidelines on what works best for all students, while reinforcing practices and policies that are already working well in school districts across California. The Support All Students campaign, which is comprised of a broad coalition of nearly 100 state and national organizations, is working to ensure that the new law is implemented throughout the state.
Anti-trans activists aiming to repeal the law submitted signatures calling for a referendum vote to Califronia's Secretary of State, and an initial review for validity qualified the signatures for a full count. That count was completed today, and the referendum failed to qualify. The Secretary of State's office found that 487,484 of the submitted signatures calling for a referendum vote were valid, but 504,760 valid signatures were needed to qaulify for the vote.
"This is an important day for all California students, especially those who are transgender and should have the same opportunities as their peers to do well in school," said GLAAD President Sarah Kate Ellis.
To find out more about California's AB 1266, visit www.supportallstudents.org.