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Equality California Calls on Marshall Tuck to Divest Himself of Anti-LGBTQ Donations
January 23, 2018 at 11:00 am

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 23, 2018

CONTACT: Tony Hoang, Equality California
PHONE: (323) 848-9801/MOBILE: (281) 703-9292/EMAIL: tony@eqca.org

Los Angeles—In response to Marshall Tuck recently accepting a financial contribution from Howard Fieldstead Ahmanson, Jr., Equality California released the following statement:

“As the nation’s largest statewide LGBTQ civil rights organization, we were extremely disappointed to learn that Marshall Tuck has accepted financial support in both his current and 2014 campaigns for California State Superintendent of Public Instruction from Howard Fieldstead Ahmanson, Jr., a well-known opponent of LGBTQ equality,” stated Rick Zbur, Executive Director of Equality California.

“We are concerned that someone seeking to lead the California Department of Education has accepted support from a man who is a well-known donor to right-wing and anti-LGBTQ causes and best known for bankrolling the infamous anti-LGBTQ Proposition 8.

Mr. Ahmanson’s right-wing and anti-LGBTQ record is clear:

  • His company, Fieldstead & Company, bankrolled the anti-LGBTQ Proposition 8 in 2008, contributing $1.4 million to its passage. [1]
  • He contributed $50,000 in 2014 to overturn AB 1266, the law that affirmed the right of transgender students to use facilities and participate on the sports teams that match their gender identity. [2]
  • He contributed over $140,000 to fund ballot measure efforts that would have restricted women’s reproductive rights. [3][4]
  • He funded the right wing Institute for Religion and Democracy that smeared Eugene Robinson, the Episcopal Church’s first openly gay bishop. [5]
  • He supported and embraced a group known for their belief that biblical law should be embedded into California’s laws – including blatant discrimination against LGBTQ people. [6]

Today, we are calling on Tuck to immediately divest himself of this tainted money, denounce Ahmanson due to his anti-LGBTQ and right-wing stances, refrain from taking donations from other right-wing and anti-LGBTQ donors, and make a public commitment to protect and support LGBTQ students and teachers and all LGBTQ people. Specifically, we ask that he:

  • Donate the $5,000 contribution he just received from Ahmanson for his 2018 campaign for State Superintendent of Public Instruction (SSPI) to organizations that support LGBTQ youth.
  • Donate the $57,800 contribution Ahmanson gave to support his 2014 campaign to organizations that support LGBTQ youth.
  • Denounce Ahmanson and his right-wing and anti-LGBTQ views.
  • Publically affirm his commitment to protect LGBTQ students and teachers and all LGBTQ people.”

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Equality California is the nation’s largest statewide LGBTQ civil rights organization. We bring the voices of LGBTQ people and allies to institutions of power in California and across the United States, striving to create a world that is healthy, just, and fully equal for all LGBTQ people. We advance civil rights and social justice by inspiring, advocating and mobilizing through an inclusive movement that works tirelessly on behalf of those we serve. www.eqca.org


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