SB 1137 Summary

• Recognizes intersectionality in California civil rights law by explicitly prohibiting discrimination based on combinations of two or more protected characteristics, not just individual protected traits.

• Amends the Unruh Civil Rights Act (Civil Code Section 51), California Fair Employment and Housing Act (Government Code Sections 12920 and 12926), and Educational Equity provisions (Education Code Sections 200 and 210.2) to include protection against discrimination based on any combination of protected characteristics.

• Defines protected characteristics under each statute to include any combination of listed characteristics, perceptions of having such characteristics, and associations with people who have or are perceived to have such characteristics.

• Declares that the amendments are declaratory of existing law and cites the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals decision in Lam v. University of Hawai'i (1994) as legal precedent for intersectional discrimination claims.

• Includes operative provisions coordinating with Assembly Bill 1815 and Senate Bill 1022 to ensure proper implementation if those bills are also enacted.