Post submitted by Stephen Peters, former Senior National Press Secretary and Spokesperson

Today HRC announced its endorsement of Katie Porter (D) to represent California’s 45th Congressional District and Gil Cisneros (D) to represent California’s 39th Congressional District. Local HRC members, supporters, and volunteers will join both pro-equality Democratic nominees at events today to discuss the importance of these critical races.

“Katie Porter and Gil Cisneros are proven leaders who will fight each and every day in Congress for the hard working families in their districts,” said JoDee Winterhof, HRC Senior Vice President for Policy and Political Affairs. “As the Trump-Pence administration unleashes an onslaught of attacks on LGBTQ people, women, and marginalized communities, it’s crucial that Southern California’s fair-minded voters turn out this November to send Porter, Cisneros, and a pro-equality majority to Congress and pull the emergency brake on this administration’s reckless, discriminatory agenda. HRC is proud to endorse Katie Porter and Gil Cisneros for Congress.”

“In Congress, I won't back down and will fight for equality for all,” said Katie Porter. “Our LGBTQ community deserves our respect, not the disdain that Donald Trump and my opponent Mimi Walters show. I am proud to stand with the Human Rights Campaign to be at the forefront of the fight to end discrimination.”

"When I served in the Navy, I had fellow servicemembers show tremendous courage and come out to me. No one should ever be made to feel ashamed or have to hide who they are or who they love, and it's why I’ve always stood for equality for the LGBTQ community,” said Gil Cisneros. “I'm committed to fighting back against the Trump administration's discriminatory agenda and push for dignity, respect, and inclusion for all."

Katie Porter is an attorney, law professor, and strong advocate for the LGBTQ community. Her support for the Equality Act — federal legislation to finally add comprehensive LGBTQ non-discrimination protections to our nation’s civil rights laws — will be crucial to advancing the legislation through Congress. Porter also opposes the so-called First Amendment Defense Act — divisive federal legislation that aims to grant a license to discriminate against the LGBTQ community by misusing religion as a weapon. Porter’s Republican opponent in the race, Rep. Mimi Walters, earned an abysmal score of 32 on the HRC Congressional Scorecard, which measures Members of Congress on their support for LGBTQ equality. Local HRC members and supporters will join Porter for an event at her campaign office today to discuss the importance of the race. Media interested in covering the event should contact Erica Kwiatkowski at erica.kwiatkowski@katieporter.com.

Gil Cisneros is a retired Naval officer who has taken a strong and vocal stand against Donald Trump’s attempt to ban qualified, patriotic transgender Americans from the military. A strong supporter of LGBTQ equality, Cisneros has pledged to co-sponsor the Equality Act and stand as a fierce advocate for the LGBTQ community against attacks by extremists in Congress and the Trump-Pence administration. Cisneros is seeking to replace Rep. Ed Royce (R) who announced in January that he will not seek re-election. Cisneros’ main opponent in the race, Young Kim (R), was called out by the LGBT Center of Orange County for running deeply harmful campaign advertisements targeting transgender students while she served in the California State Assembly. Local HRC members and supporters will join Cisneros for an event at his campaign office today to discuss the importance of the race. Media interested in covering the event should contact Nic Jordan at nic@cisnerosforcongress.com.

In California, HRC has identified over 9 million voters as likely “Equality Voters,” meaning they are strong supporters of progressive LGBTQ policies including marriage equality, equitable family law, and laws that prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. Last year, HRC announced a coast-to-coast campaign to mobilize voters for the midterm elections called HRC Rising, which represents the largest grassroots expansion in the organization’s 38-year history.