As California awaits the state Assembly’s vote on the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act (AB 19) – a bill that would change California’s legal definition of marriage from between “one man and one woman” to “two persons” – the importance of every single vote in government bodies that determine our civil rights has never been more evident, nor has our role as voters in supporting and electing those candidates that support the GLBT community. If AB 19 passes the state Assembly, it will then move to the state Senate and then ultimately Gov. Schwarzenegger. At time of press 35 of the 41 needed votes were cast in favor of AB 19 with eight Democrats left to vote.

State Assemblymember Juan Vargas, currently running against Bob Filner for the 51st Congressional District, delivered the GLBT community a low blow, choosing to vote against AB 19 when it came to the floor Wednesday evening; a move seen as a calculated attempt to separate his candidacy from Filner. Filner is a GLBT-rights supporter and co-author of the Permanent Partners Immigration Act, a bill that would allow same-sex partners of U.S. citizens and same-sex partners of lawful permanent residents the same immigration rights that legal spouses of U.S. residents enjoy. In what will be his third attempt to unseat Filner, Vargas has made same-sex marriage a wedge issue once again.

The 51st Congressional District – which represents Chula Vista, National City, South San Diego, San Ysidro, Bonita, La Presa, and all of Imperial County and has a demographic makeup of over 53 percent Latino/a – could be swayed to a more socially-conservative candidate; exactly what Vargas is depending on. Filner, however, is considered to be the favorite in this race.

For Vargas, a member himself of a minority community that has lived with discrimination and restricted rights, to play politics with our community’s civil liberties is sordid at best.

Latino/a candidates have led on issues such as AB 19, and succeeded despite the Latino community’s strong ties to Catholicism. Assemblymember Lori Saldaña, co-author of AB 19, was elected last November to San Diego’s 76th District while supporting full marriage equality throughout her campaign.

Newly elected Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa won a landslide victory, becoming the first elected Los Angeles Latino mayor since 1872 and garnering the Latino/a vote despite being dubbed Los Angeles’ “honorary gay” due to his opposition to Proposition 22, which bans recognition of out-of-state same-sex marriages, and his push for pro-gay legislation when he was speaker of the Assembly – the same Assembly in which Vargas nayed AB 19. Saldaña and Villaraigosa did what they believed was right and led their communities instead of succumbing to discriminatory beliefs.

Villaraigosa could not have won, however, with the Hispanic vote alone. It was a coalition of voters including the African-American and GLBT community that pushed him ahead by such a large margin. However, it’s becoming increasingly evident that the Latino/a vote will soon become the majority in Southern California, and potentially the most influential – future civil rights legislation will undoubtedly be influenced heavily by the Latino/a vote.

In San Diego County, Latinos/as account for roughly 27 percent of the total population, and it is the fastest growing segment – expected to reach the mid-30 percentile range by 2020. Los Angeles, on the other hand, is already 47 percent Latino/a.

Let Vargas’ vote yesterday on AB 19 be a reminder of the importance of reaching out and building coalitions with other communities that have the potential of affecting policy on such issues as GLBT rights and same-sex marriage. Forging these alliances now will benefit our struggle for full equality exponentially. Look around – the Latin community is the future of California, it is high time we begin investing in it.

To find out the most recent information regarding the state Assembly’s vote visit www.gaylesbiantimes.com