Bill > AB620

This bill, titled the "Public Postsecondary Education: Nondiscrimination and Equity in Higher Education Act," aims to strengthen protections against discrimination and promote equity within California's public colleges and universities. Key provisions include requiring public postsecondary institutions to allow faculty, staff, and students to voluntarily identify their sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression when demographic data is collected, and to report aggregate, anonymized information on these categories to the Legislature and the public annually. The bill also mandates that the California State University, University of California, and community college districts designate an employee on each campus to serve as a point of contact for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) faculty, staff, and students, and to publish their contact information. Furthermore, it encourages the Legislative Analyst to assess the quality of life for LGBT individuals at these institutions and make recommendations. The bill also requires these institutions to adopt and publish policies on harassment, intimidation, and bullying, and amends existing laws to explicitly include gender identity and gender expression in definitions of hate violence and in nondiscrimination clauses for student financial aid programs, loans, and employment practices within community college districts. It also clarifies that meetings of legislative bodies within these systems cannot be held in facilities that discriminate based on sexual orientation or gender identity.