LGBT Political Power Discussion

Thu. November 19th, 7:30-9:00 pm
114 W. 5th Street, L.A., 90013

Join us and co-hosts Stonewall Young Democrats for a discussion on the history of LGBT political power from the deposing of homophobic L.A. City Council Member Paul Lamport to today’s out LGBT elected officials.

Special guests, Former Senator Sheila Kuehl and veteran activist Torie Osborn, will be joining us to share their insight on the history of LGBT political power in Los Angeles and the present position the LGBT community has in the political landscape.

Former Senator Sheila Kuehl Torie Osborn

Sheila James Kuehl was appointed to the California Integrated Waste Management Board on December 1, 2008, after serving eight years in the State Senate and six years in the State Assembly. During the 1997-98 legislative session, she was the first woman in California history to be named Speaker pro Tempore of the Assembly. She is also the first openly gay or lesbian person to be elected to the California Legislature. A former pioneering civil rights attorney and law professor, Sen. Kuehl represented the 23rd Senate District in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties. She was the chair of the Senate Health Committee and sat on the Agriculture, Appropriations, Environmental Quality, Joint Rules, Judiciary, Labor and Employment, and Natural Resources and Water Committees. Sen. Kuehl was also chair of the Select Committee on School Safety and Chair of the Select Committee on the Health Effects of Radioactive and Chemical Contamination. Senator Kuehl served as chair of the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee from 2000-2006. She is currently a Distinguished Policy Fellow at the UCLA School of Public Affairs, a Horizon Institute Fellow, and a member of Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas’ transition team.

Torie Osborn is a longtime progressive organizer, senior Advisor to LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, and the United Way of Greater Los Angeles. She is also the former director of Liberty Hill Foundation, the LA Gay and Lesbian Center, and National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.

For questions, please email rootsofequality@gmail.com