First Lesbian Speaker of Calif. Assembly Sworn In

Toni Atkins, the first lesbian and third woman to be speaker of the California State Assembly, was sworn in to that position today.

“We want to restore the Golden State that provided our kids the best education and good jobs,” Atkins, an Assembly member from San Diego, said in her swearing-in speech. “We want to ensure that the California dream is alive and well for everyone in our state, and for everyone who, like me, comes here to achieve their dream. We want the Golden State to be the gold standard that others strive towards.” She spoke of the need work to "make sure California’s business climate is strong – and that our state’s quality of life is equally strong.”
After thanking many of her family members, political mentors, and other people in her life, she thanked her wife, Jennifer LeSar, saying, “I want to assure her that unlike our wedding, where I thanked every single attendee, I am – save for one – done with the thank-yous. Jennifer, I give you my most sincere appreciation for your support, love, friendship, and advice, and for taking this journey with me. I’m truly blessed to have you in my life and as my spouse.”

Atkins also invoked and quoted several of the people she counts as heroes. She quoted the late congresswoman Barbara Jordan’s directive, “The imperative is to define what is right and do it.” Later she quoted Theodor Seuss Geisel, the author better known as Dr. Seuss: “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”

Atkins, a former member of the San Diego City Council, is also the first San Diegan to hold the speaker’s post. She succeeds a gay man, John Pérez of Los Angeles, who reached his term limit as speaker. She praised his performance in the job, saying, “I have watched you closely these last three years, inspired by your thoughtfulness in assessing and solving problems – something I’m not sure many people witness up close – your intelligence, your courage, and your controlled patience as you wait for many of us to catch up.”

To read more about Atkins, who rose from a hardscrabble upbringing in Appalachia to her prominent position in California politics, see our “Who the F Is” feature on her here.