Califs Gay Assembly Speaker on Prop 8 HIV Cuts Economy

One day after being sworn in as California's assembly speaker and becoming one of the most powerful politicians in the Golden State, John Perez discussed an issue close to his heart -- gay rights.

Perez became the first openly gay speaker of the California state assembly on Monday. The 38-year-old Los Angeles Democrat now holds a position recently held by his cousin, uber-gay-friendly L.A. mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. Perez spoke to reporters Tuesday about gay-related issues he hopes to tackle in the troubled state, which is racked with debt and unemployment. Perez stressed that jobs are the paramount issue to all Californians, adding that gay African-Americans are more susceptible to poverty than white and Latino gays, while lesbians have more impediments to insurance coverage.

"Equality advances happen in times of economic expansion, not retraction," Perez added, saying he will push for education funding so more Californians can fill the desperate need for nurses and other health care workers.

Perez is familiar with health funding -- he's worked as an adviser to numerous AIDS organizations, including the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS -- so it's easy to see why the loss of millions of dollars for HIV prevention efforts under current Republican governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is a contentious issue for him.

"These [cuts] don't represent the values of the assembly or the senate, but the values of the governor," Perez said. "We're going to fight to preserve the prevention money and the AIDS Drug Assistance Program money. This is a real priority for me."

Perez was equally resolute when it came to the issue of Proposition 8. He said current efforts at getting a repeal of the same-sex marriage ban on the November 2010 ballot will be fruitless.

"There's no practical way we're going to get there," Perez said of the signature-gathering efforts. "I know people don't want to hear it, but that's the reality. They don't have the signatures or the money."

Perez stressed the importance of outreach work in advance of a ballot challenge in 2012, and he corrected an assertion from a reporter that Latinos voted in large numbers for Prop. 8, saying Latinos actually rejected the measure by a higher percentage than the general population.

Perez described his excitement over California's first celebration of Harvey Milk Day on May 22. Events are planned in Sacramento, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, Perez said.

Always direct and on point, the assembly speaker showed a softer side when talking about his historic election. On Monday, when Perez entered the chambers to be sworn in by Carlos Moreno, the only California supreme court justice to reject Prop. 8 after it was passed by voters, the Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles sang both "Brand New Day" and "America The Beautiful," the latter of which Perez called "the most beautiful rendition I ever heard."