THE POLITICS OF THE PERSONAL

Much has been made of the term-limit era diversity of the California Legislature. In large part because of the mandated high turnover rate, a new generation of women, Latino, Asian and gay legislators has stepped forward to permanently change what had been since statehood a club almost exclusively for white, heterosexual men. Diversity for its own sake is a good thing, but what are its practical results in terms of decisions about public policy?

A marked example was provided last week before the Assembly Judiciary Committee, when Assemblyman Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, presented his bill to legalize gay marriages in California. Leno, one of two gay men in the Assembly, likely would never have brought the measure forward were it not for his personal experience. There were many liberals — straights and gays alike — who urged him to back off, saying that the state's domestic partner laws already provide a wide range of rights to gay couples and that to push the gay marriage issue in a volatile election year would just create a political issue that can be used against liberals.

Leno acknowledged those concerns, but was not persuaded by them, largely because of his own life experience:

"For many years, I thought, 'Why fight a war over words?' But then the Massachusetts Supreme Court decision (ruling the state could not discriminate against same-sex marriages) made me realize that if I'm going to fight for my rights, why should I fight for second-class rights?"

The fact that some in the gay community urged him to back off on the issue, he said, is reflective the cultural pressures they have felt their entire lives. "It gets in your body, your soul, your mind that you don't want to speak up, you don't want to make too many waves."

Adding her own story of personal poignancy was Assemblywoman Jackie Goldberg, D-Los Angeles, who testified before the committee. Goldberg is one of three lesbians in the Legislature. "I got married on March 8," she said, explaining that she and her life-long partner went to San Francisco to obtain a marriage license during the three weeks when San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsome was defiantly allowing the city to so act. "The biggest shock of my life was what changed. I thought nothing would change. I was absolutely wrong. People who've known me 20, 30, 40 years have been calling with their congratulations. It represents an acceptance of my life that has never been possible before."

Such personal advocacy for the issue is a direct result of the fact that the California Legislature now reflects a reasonably representative cross-section of its population. To be sure, the diversity leads to a lot of ideological friction among lawmakers, but it is democracy at its purest.