|
(Sacramento, California) A group of conservative
Republicans walked off the Assembly Floor during a ceremony to honor six high
profile gay Californians.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, I rise to point out
the ridiculousness of the exercise," said Assembly Republican Leader George
Plescia (R-San Diego). "We're wasting a lot of time we have a lot of bills
on the floor."
Plescia remained in the chamber but Assemblymember.
Dennis Mountjoy (R - Monrovia) and several other Republicans stormed out.
Several others did not show up for the session.
Some of the honorees included Bishop Yvette
Flunder, E*Trade securities president Kathy Levinson, former NFL player Esera
Tuaolo and "The Amazing Race 4" winner Reichen Lehmkuhl.
Lehmkuhl's boyfriend, former 'N Sync singer Lance
Bass watched the ceremony from the back of the room.
The ceremony - the first Pride Recognition
Awards - was sponsored by the legislature's LGBT Caucus.
Assemblymember Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) one of
the caucus leaders accused the 10 Republicans of being childish.
"So it's a great disappointment that they're
acting like such children," Leno said.
Leno was the sponsor of last year's ill-fated
same-sex marriage bill. The legislation passed the Assembly and Senate
only to be vetoed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Another bill by a caucus member, Sen. Sheila
Kuehl (D-Los Angeles), that would have required California schools to teach LGBT
history was watered down at Kuehl's request in a last ditch effort to save it
from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's threatened veto. (story)
Meanwhile, while the LGBT curriculum bill
flounders in Sacramento a university in Los Angeles will become the first in the
nation to offer a post graduate program in gay studies.
The MA courses at Antioch University will be part
of the Clinical Psychology program and will begin with the fall semester.
©365Gay.com 2006
|
Entertainment
