On Wednesday (1 September), the state senate unanimously passed the AB 1094 law or the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Data Collection Project.
Under the bill, the California Department of Public Health will start a three-year program that would train medical examiners and coroners to identify and collect information on a victims sexual orientation and gender identity in cases of violent death.
Homicide, use of deadly force by police and suicide are set to be included in the extensive training. Assemblymember Dr Joaquin Arambula, who first introduced the legislation to Senate, opened up about the importance of the bill in a statement. “I believe AB 1094 is an important and humane step in ultimately preventing these deaths, he said. “