Lost in the shuffle of California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signing pro-gay legislation supporting Harvey Milk Day were two vetoes on transgender issues.

Pam’s House Blend reports on the vetos, rejecting legislation that would make it easier for transgender persons to change their birth certificates, and another bill that would extend protections to transgender prisoners.

AB1185, passed 23-14 in the Senate and 48-30 in the Assembly:

Under existing law, whenever a person born in this state has undergone surgical treatment for the purpose of altering his or her sexual characteristics to those of the opposite sex, a new birth certificate may be prepared reflecting the change of gender and any change of name. A petition for the issuance of a new birth certificate is permitted to be filed in the superior court of the county in which the petitioner resides.

This bill would also permit the petition to be filed in the superior court of the county in which the petitioner was born.

AB 382, passed 24-14 in the Senate and 65-9 in the Assembly:

Existing law requires the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to classify inmates and wards in order to prevent inmate and ward sexual violence and to promote inmate and ward safety, as specified. Existing law also requires the department to consider specified risk factors when classifying the inmate.

This bill would add the sexual orientation and gender identity of the inmate or ward, as specified, to the list of risk factors to be considered.

In veto statements, Schwarzenegger called both bills “unnecessary.”

While we wait to see if Gov. Schwarzenegger will veto a bill commemmorating Harvey Milk, the gay rights leader has been slated to enter the California Hall of Fame.  Milk is one of thirteen in a rather diverse group of people the state has chosen to honor.

“The California Hall of Fame celebrates our most influential women and men, and honors them for their drive, willingness to take risks, dedication and success in touching the lives of millions of people — not just in this state, but around the world,” Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said in a press release.

The hall plans a Dec. 1 induction ceremony at The California Museum in Sacramento. It will include the opening of new exhibits that feature mementos loaned by the inductees and their families, including items never exhibited before.

When Gov. Scwharzenegger vetoed a bill to commemmorate Harvey Milk in Calif. schools last year, he did so while arguing that Milk should be honored in San Francisco, where he had the most impact. Milk’s induction into the California Hall of Fame – with the Governor’s blessing – seems to paint a different, more accurate picture of Milk’s influence.

Equality California is asking supporters to contact Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to urge him to sign a bill that would establish Harvey Milk Day.

Schwarzenegger earlier vetoed a similar measure after intense pressure from right-wing activists.  At the time, he said it was more appropriate that Milk was honored in San Francisco alone, where he was elected to the Board of Supervisors in 1977.  Since then, the Oscar-winning “Milk,” a film by Gus Van Sant, and the bestowal of the Presidential Medal of Freedom celebrating Milk’s life and legacy, have renewed international interest in his story.

So what would the bill actually do?  Equality California explains:

SB 572 would require the Governor to proclaim May 22 of each year as Harvey Milk Day. It would also designate Harvey Milk Day as a day of special significance in public schools and educational institutions, and encourage those entities to conduct suitable commemorative exercises.

This bill would put California on record as recognizing the social contributions that Harvey Milk made to our nation as a civil rights leader. It would also allow schools to conduct activities that would foster respect for all, and educate students about an important figure who is often omitted from history lessons.

This legislation would not require that state workers or school employees get the day off from work. Therefore, SB 572 would have no fiscal impact to the state.

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn (D) has ensured that HIV services in his state will remain nearly fully funded in his allocation plans for the new fiscal year state budget, according to the Windy City Times.  The announcement comes only a few weeks after CA Gov. Schwarzenegger came under criticism for severely cutting HIV/AIDS funding in California.

While the original budget provided for HIV/AIDS agencies to be funded at 50% of previous levels, Quinn has committed the allocation of an additional $40 million to the Illinois Department of Public Health as part of the governor’s discretionary dollars approved in the FY10 budget. These dollars, in addition to dollars approved in the budget, restore funding to 97.4% of previous levels.

Mark Ishaug, president/CEO of the AIDS Foundation of Chicago, issued a statement thanking Governor Quinn for maintaining essential support for HIV/AIDS services during tough economic times.  “The governor’s decision ensures that HIV prevention and care services for people living with and at risk of HIV will continue largely uninterrupted.”

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a revised $85 million budget bill Tuesday, which contained line-item vetoes nixing funding to state AIDS services programs as well as child welfare programs.

“We cannot afford the programs that we used to be able to afford,” said Schwarzenegger, whose line-item vetoes saved an additional $656 million to the state.

Michael Weinstein, president of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, stated, “The governor’s heartless act is not only deadly, but guaranteed to cost California taxpayers millions more in the future.”

The Huffington Post reports:

The governor’s vetoes included $80 million from child welfare programs; $61 million from county funding to administer Medi-Cal, California’s version of Medicaid; $52 million from AIDS prevention and treatment; $50 million from Healthy Families, the low-cost health insurance program for poor children; and $6.2 million more from state parks.

“Those are ugly cuts and I’m the only one that is really responsible for those cuts because the Legislature left, they didn’t want to make those cuts,” he said after signing the budget in his office.

Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, a Democrat who negotiated the original budget compromise with Schwarzenegger, immediately questioned the legality of many of the governor’s vetoes.

“We will fight to restore every dollar of additional cuts to health and human services,” Steinberg said in a written statement. “This is not the last word.”