California Senate votes unanimously to repeal anti-gay law

by Rex Wockner

The California Senate on Aug. 23 unanimously passed a bill to repeal a 1950s-era law that instructs the California Department of Mental Health to conduct research into the “causes and cures of homosexuality.”
The repeal previously passed the Assembly and heads to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger after an Assembly concurrence vote.
“It is outrageous that California law requires the state to expend scarce resources in a futile attempt to ‘cure’ homosexuality,” said Equality California Executive Director Geoff Kors. “This offensive code must be stricken from the books immediately.”
Assemblywoman Bonnie Lowenthal, D-Long Beach and sponsor of the bill, said the Legislature’s overwhelming opposition to the law “speaks volumes about how far we’ve come since 1950.”