Gay California Assembly Speaker Heads to DNC

California's gay Assembly speaker, John A. Perez, is scheduled to speak next week at the Democratic National Convention.

Perez, 42, is the first openly gay state speaker in the country and is one of the state's longest-serving Assembly speakers. He addressed the state party convention in 2011.

Clarissa Filgioun, Equality California board president, praised the announcement. "Speaker Perez is a powerful advocate for the dignity and equality of all lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Californians," she said in a statement Friday.

Gay Congress members Tammy Baldwin, Jared Polis, and Barney Frank are also scheduled to speak at the convention next week. For the full list of speakers, visit DemConvention.com.