Once again, Julie and I will be celebrating with the community at our annual San Diego LGBT Pride parade. It is hard to believe that this is my 23rd consecutive Pride parade. The event is one of my favorites. It is an inspiring, visible and exciting day for all of us!

As we prepare for the fun and festivities of another San Diego Pride, we should not forget some of the lessons learned following the hate crime attacks at last year’s event.

Six individuals were walking from the festival grounds in Balboa Park when they were assaulted by bat-and-knife-wielding attackers. The group of perpetrators screamed anti-gay epithets at the victims, and one victim went to the hospital with a fractured skull. The severity of the attack stunned the GLBT community. We had mistakenly assumed that in an age of greater acceptance, San Diego wouldn’t be the site for discrimination and violence – especially at our biggest celebration of the year.

One of the lessons learned is that no matter how much progress we make in accepting GLBT folks, we remain a minority, and a targeted one at that. According to a 2006 report issued by the California Attorney General, hate crimes based on sexual orientation are the second highest bias motivator behind race and ethnicity. Of the nearly 1,400 hate crime incidents reported in 2005 in California, 18 percent of them were based on the victims’ real or perceived sexual orientation.

Despite these figures, it is easy to develop a false sense of security. The progress we have achieved in everything from popular culture like film and television to greater acceptance in families and work places soothes us into thinking that everything is OK. But no matter how many “out” characters appear on television or supportive co-workers we have, they’re no substitute for legal equality.

A segment of our society still regards GLBT people as second-class citizens, a phenomenon reinforced through discriminatory laws. That’s because, for all the protections we enjoy in California, such as domestic partnerships, an abundance of policies continue to push down the GLBT community. Whether it is marriage or the military, we are not fully protected.

Rather than be discouraged by this situation, I feel privileged to represent all of my constituents in the Senate, and have the opportunity to work on legislation to protect all GLBT residents in California.

It is a responsibility that I cherish. In February, I secured a commitment from the California National Guard that it would no longer discriminate against its GLBT personnel who are also state employees. It is a major achievement that allows skilled professionals to do their job without harassment or dismissal. In June, the Legislature passed Senate Joint Resolution 6, urging the president and Congress to overturn the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy against GLBT servicemembers. I sponsored the resolution in hopes of retaining the untold thousands of GLBT military personnel who fear for their jobs in the face of war and other stresses.

Another measure I introduced, Senate Bill 559, would provide relief to domestic partners who paid discriminatory property taxes prior to Jan. 1, 2006. The bill rolls back tax increases for domestic partners who separated or lost a partner before a 2006 law went into effect protecting them against unfair property reassessments. This bill passed the Senate in June and is being considered by an Assembly committee.

The biggest legislative battle this year may be the right of same-sex couples to marry. Assembly Bill 43 would grant all the protections of marriage to same-sex couples. It passed the Assembly in June and is awaiting a vote in the Senate. I hope that should a bill come to the governor’s desk in 2007, that we can rally him to the side of equality.

This year, after the thrill of Pride parades and parties fade, I urge you to ask your legislators to support equality.