The Truths We Hold, by Kamala Harris: on Families & Children


Gavin Newsom: 2004: Performed same-sex marriage despite state ban

In the year 2000, California voters approved a ballot initiative--Prop 22--that required the state to define marriage as a union between people of the opposite sex. For years we fought it.

During Valentine's Day week in 2004, then-San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom decided to allow marriages for same-sex couples to proceed anyway.

around the block, waiting to get in. They were counting down the minutes before a government would finally recognize their right to marry whomever they loved. The joy and anticipation were palpable. Some of them had been waiting decades.

I got out of my car and walked up the steps of City Hall, where I bumped into a city official. "Kamala, come and help us," she said, a glowing smile on her face. "We need more people to perform the marriages." I was delighted to be a part of it.

Source: The Truths We Hold, by Kamala Harris, p.111 Jan 8, 2019

Kamala Harris: 2004: Performed same-sex marriage despite state ban

In the year 2000, California voters approved a ballot initiative--Prop 22--that required the state to define marriage as a union between people of the opposite sex. For years we fought it.

During Valentine's Day week in 2004, then-San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom decided to allow marriages for same-sex couples to proceed anyway.

around the block, waiting to get in. They were counting down the minutes before a government would finally recognize their right to marry whomever they loved. The joy and anticipation were palpable. Some of them had been waiting decades.

I got out of my car and walked up the steps of City Hall, where I bumped into a city official. "Kamala, come and help us," she said, a glowing smile on her face. "We need more people to perform the marriages." I was delighted to be a part of it.

Source: The Truths We Hold, by Kamala Harris, p.111 Jan 8, 2019

Kamala Harris: Sanctuary for prostituted youth so they can escape pimps

[In San Francisco in 2000] one of our priorities was creating a safe place for prostituted youth to get love and support and treatment. I knew from years of experience that the survivors we were trying to help usually had nowhere to go. People often wondered why it was that exploited kids picked up by the police would go right back to the pimps who "took care of them." It didn't seem so strange to me--where else were these kids able to turn?

Our task force proposed establishing a safe house for sexually exploited youth--a sanctuary that would offer substance abuse and mental health treatment; the resources needed to get back to school; and a network of support to keep vulnerable young people safe, healthy, and on track. We advocated for funding to create the safe house as well as to run a public education campaign.

To our delight, the board of supervisors adopted and funded our recommendations. We were able to rescue scores of runaways within the first couple of years.

Source: The Truths We Hold, by Kamala Harris, p.35-6 Jan 8, 2019

Kamala Harris: Shut down brothels masquerading as massage parlors

[In S.F. in 2000] I spent two years at the city attorney's office. I started by co-founding a task force to study the issues of sexually exploited youth.

We believed it was important to disrupt the network of brothels masquerading as massage parlors, where so many people were being sexually exploited, so we asked the board of supervisors to direct law enforcement to investigate them.

[After S.F. funded a task force on prostitution], law enforcement shut down nearly three dozen brothels in the city.

Source: The Truths We Hold, by Kamala Harris, p.36 Jan 8, 2019

  • The above quotations are from The Truths We Hold
    An American Journey,
    by Kamala Harris    .
  • Click here for definitions & background information on Families & Children.
  • Click here for other issues (main summary page).
  • Click here for more quotes by Kamala Harris on Families & Children.
2020 Presidential contenders on Families & Children:
  Republicans:
Gov.John Kasich(OH)
V.P.Mike Pence(IN)
Gov.Mark Sanford (R-SC)
Pres.Donald Trump(NY)
Gov.Bill Weld(MA) 		Democrats:
Sen.Michael Bennet (D-CO)
V.P.Joe Biden (D-DE)
Gov.Steve Bullock (D-MT)
Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D-IN)
Sen.Cory Booker (D-NJ)
Secy.Julian Castro (D-TX)
Mayor Bill de Blasio (D-NYC)
Rep.John Delaney (D-MD)
Rep.Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI)
Sen.Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)
Sen.Mike Gravel (D-AK)
Sen.Kamala Harris (D-CA)
Gov.John Hickenlooper (D-CO)
Gov.Larry Hogan (D-MD)
Gov.Jay Inslee (D-WA)
Sen.Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)
Mayor Wayne Messam (D-FL)
Rep.Seth Moulton (D-MA)
Rep.Beto O`Rourke (D-TX)
Rep.Tim Ryan (D-CA)
Sen.Bernie Sanders (I-VT)
Adm.Joe Sestak (D-PA)
CEO Tom Steyer (D-CA)
Rep.Eric Swalwell (D-CA)
Sen.Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)
Marianne Williamson (D-CA)
CEO Andrew Yang (D-NY)

2020 Third Party Candidates:
Rep.Justin Amash (L-MI)
Howie Hawkins (G-NY)
Gov.Gary Johnson(L-NM)
V.P.Mike Pence (R-IN)
Howard Schultz(I-WA)
V.C.Arvin Vohra (L-MD)
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Page last updated: Aug 11, 2019