SAN BERNARDINO — Equality California, the nation’s largest statewide LGBTQ civil rights organization, announced an early 2020 endorsement of Abigail Medina for State Senate District 23 on Friday. Medina is running to replace Senator Mike Morrell (R-Rancho Cucamonga), who will term out of office in 2020. If elected, Medina will become the first openly LGBTQ woman of color elected to the California Senate.
“As a fierce advocate for our students and teachers and for the Inland Empire’s LGBTQ community, Abigail Medina has the experience we need to win this seat,” said Equality California Executive Director Rick Zbur. “We look forward to adding another member to the Legislative LGBTQ Caucus and the California Senate’s pro-equality supermajority in 2020.”
The daughter of immigrant parents and a working mother of five, Abigail Medina is the current San Bernardino City Unified School Board President and the Inland Region Equality Network’s Executive Director, where she advocates for the area’s LGBTQ community. Under her leadership, San Bernardino High School graduation rates have exceeded state and county standards for the first time in over 40 years and the district recently scored in the highest tier of Equality California Institute’s Safe and Supportive Schools Report Card, which assessed California unified school districts’ support of LGBTQ students.
“I am deeply honored to receive the endorsement of Equality California,” said Medina. “The fight for true equality is far from over, and the work Equality California does is inherent in our ability to move forward as a true democracy. As the only openly LGBTQ candidate running in State Senate District 23, I will always use the power of visibility to do all I can to continue changing hearts and minds, and I will work, tirelessly, to advance LGBTQ-inclusive policies and demand legal protections for all.”
For a complete list of Equality California’s 2019 and 2020 endorsements, visit eqca.org/elections.
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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
