Stephanie Lobbied, Survivors Spoke, the Senate Listened

A unanimous vote in Sacramento rarely happens by accident.

California Assembly Bill 1267, which bans child marriage, unanimously passed the State Senate on Wednesday. The bill now heads back to the Assembly for a final vote that could send it on to Governor Newsom's desk. AB 1267 would raise the minimum marriage age to 18, no exceptions. That unanimous vote didn't come out of nowhere. I got to see part of what it took firsthand, when I attended Lobby Day with Unchained At Last.

Getting to meet the women and allies behind this movement was a lot to take in. I learned things I honestly didn't know, like how many states still allow forced and underage marriage, and what it puts minors through. Several survivors and allies spoke of the religious pressure that shaped their marriages, and the courage it took to finally walk away. Hearing those stories made it clear how much was riding on the two days ahead.

Walking into the Capitol with our group is not something I'll forget. Over the course of two days, staff actually listened, and we connected with other advocates who wished us luck. The women shared their stories with a kind of strength that’s hard to put into words.

Their strength was hard to ignore. Assemblymember Mike Gipson's team's reaction said it all. He's already a strong supporter of AB 1267, but hearing survivors describe what they'd lived through and learning California has no minimum marriage age left his staff genuinely shocked. There were some heavy, emotional conversations over those two days, but those are exactly the conversations that help move a bill forward.

What I learned was that creating change can look like brave people walking into a room and telling the truth about what they’d lived through. If you're a student wondering whether you can make a difference, please know you already have what it takes to tell your truth.