Special Guests Geoff Kors & James Williamson
Palm Springs residents Geoff Kors and James Williamson have a long and distinguished record of service to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community.
Geoff served as Executive Director of Equality California for nine years from 2002 until 2011, building the largest and most successful statewide LGBT rights organization in the nation. Under Geoff’s leadership, EQCA passed more than seventy pieces of LGBT rights legislation, many of which he conceived and helped draft, and then developed and implemented the strategy to ensure they were enacted and signed into law. As a result, LGBT Californians today have the most comprehensive civil rights protections in the nation.
In 2004, in his role as head of EQCA’s PAC, Geoff implemented a policy requiring candidates for public office to state, in writing, their support of full equality for the entire LGBT community in order to gain EQCA’s endorsement. This policy was the first of its kind in the nation. It resulted in many candidates, after meeting with Geoff and EQCA’s board, staff and members, rethinking their position and adopting a fully inclusive position of support for the LGBT community.
Prior to Equality California, Kors served as a partner in an LGBT civil rights law firm and prior to that as Director of the ACLU of Illinois Gay and Lesbian Rights and AIDS and Civil Liberties projects.
Kors has served on many boards including the Executive Board of the Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club where he originated the idea for, and helped orchestrate passage of, San Francisco’s landmark Equal Benefits Ordinance. This ordinance widely credited as resulting in a dramatic shift in the number of companies that offer equal benefits for employees in same-sex relationships.
James was born in Scotland and became a proud citizen of the United States in 2008. After moving to California in 1991, James became extremely
active in the LGBT community, volunteering for numerous organizations including the Shanti Project, where he served as an emotional support volunteer to people with end state HIV/AIDS, and as a member of the LGBT Advisory Committee to San Francisco Human Rights Commission. In 2002, James joined the board of directors of the Asian Pacific Islander Wellness Center, where he served on both the executive committee and as the organization’s treasurer.
After two terms of service on the API Wellness board, James joined the board of the Horizons LGBT Community Foundation where he served as the organizations board co-chair. During his tenure, Horizons granted millions of dollars to a broad spectrum of LGBT community and HIV/AIDS non-profit organizations. In 2009, James joined the board of directors for the San Francisco LGBT Community Center where he serves as co-chair.
James’ political work includes serving as treasurer for a number of candidates for public office, volunteering on numerous campaigns and supporting candidates and organizations who believe in full equality and justice.
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