Here we go again. It’s nearly autumn in California, and of course that means another round of ballot measures and another effort to chip away at choice.

Some of you may be thinking: “What are two men doing writing about choice? What business is it of theirs? They won’t ever have to decide whether or not to have an abortion.”

Hopefully, others know that this is an issue of concern for us all. This is about a full range of complicated and personal issues. It’s about choice, privacy and who decides what we do with our bodies.

As our LGBT community works to build real coalitions, we should not be thought of as single-issue voters. We are still actively engaged in conversations with our allies to support our full equality, including fending off other ballot-measure efforts to write discrimination against LGBT people into our state constitution. For coalitions to truly work, we must be there for one another. We saw the power of that earlier this month when the wonderful diversity of San Diego came together at The Center to stand with the victims of those horrific Pride-weekend attacks and against hate-based violence.

We’re proud to be part of The Center’s board of directors and proud of the fact that The Center has had a longstanding policy of supporting a woman’s right to make her own choices about her body, her health and her future – without interference from the government.

Those who support this measure will tell you it’s not about any of those things, but simply about parental notification in the event that a minor seeks an abortion. They’ll say, “If you were a parent, wouldn’t you want to know?”

While certainly provocative, that is not the question. The real question is, “If a young 17-year-old woman could not talk with her family about her pregnancy, should she be forced to come before a judge in open court and explain her family dynamics and sexual situation?” We believe the answer is a clear and resounding no.

We know from child welfare and family violence research why far too many young girls would not want to speak up in open court about their situation. Sadly, many of them live in violent, unsafe households. One in every five young women and one in every 10 young men have been sexually assaulted by the time they are 18 years old. In more than 70 percent of these cases, the sexual offenders are known to the victims: boyfriends, stepfathers, fathers, uncles, co-workers, classmates, members of their churches or friends of the family.

This measure would require females who are minors to notify their parents of their intent to terminate their pregnancy even if a family member was responsible for the pregnancy! Many fear being kicked out of their homes – even unsafe homes – being beaten or worse. Some will consider suicide rather than deal openly with an unwanted pregnancy. Clearly, this doesn’t protect these young girls, but would likely cause them more harm.

This proposed measure – and its virtual twin from the last special election – has never really been about protecting young girls. Those who support it are the same people who want to deny these same girls access to any reproductive education that doesn’t feature an abstinence-only message.

The right-wing political extremists who support this measure – including the Traditional Values Coalition, Evangelicals for Social Action and Right to Life of Central California – are very clear that this is a part of their strategy to unravel the constitutional right to privacy, as well as a woman’s right to choose.

Very few children – even those who are raised in close-knit families – talk openly or honestly with their parents about their sexual experiences. Our own community knows this is true, as many of our coming out stories have taught us this lesson.

Passing this proposition won’t change that dynamic. It’s simply impossible to force productive and safe family communication around sexuality by a vote of the people. You can’t just vote and make teens talk to their parents about sex.

Please join us – and the California Medical Association, the California Nurses Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the California Academy of Family Physicians, the California Teachers Association and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists – in opposing Proposition 85. Please vote no on 85.