Tuesday, June 6, 2023

LA County Board to Consider Creation of LGBTQ+ Commission

CITY NEWS SERVICE

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors will consider Tuesday the creation of a commission concerned with the rights and welfare of LGBTQ+ persons throughout the nation’s most populous county.

According to the board motion by Supervisors Hilda Solis and Janice Hahn, such a commission is needed due to the “ever increasing bias, prejudice and hate against those who identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer.”

The proposed panel would also “ensure that county policies are inclusive of the specific needs of this community,” including safety from violence.

Research has found, according to the motion, that suicidal behavior across the nation was significantly higher among LGBTQ youth than other populations.

“It is incumbent on the board to ensure that positions and policies it takes are inclusive of all,” according to the motion. “One way of doing that is the creation of the county’s LGBTQ+ Commission, which would review recommendations to the board.”

The commission board would “be made up of individuals who know and have experienced the struggles common to the LBGTQ community,” according to the motion. The panel would have 15 members and would serve in an advisory capacity to the board, county departments and other commissions.

It would also offer training for county employees and contractors to help them to better understand the special needs of the LGBTQ+ communities, according to the motion.