Kay Berryhill Smith was born on January 13, 1936, in Syracuse, New York. After spending her early life in various locations in both the United States and Europe, she settled in Riverside, California, where she resided for 39 years. Smith attended Antioch University, the American University of Beirut, Lebanon, and ultimately received her Bachelors of Arts from Stanford University. She then received her Master's degree in Social Work from U.C. Berkeley, and worked as a social worker for 27 years, eventually managing the adoptions program for Riverside County. Smith was a dedicated civil rights and political activist, as well as an activist for the local lesbian and gay community in Riverside. She was a member of the Human Relations Commission, fought for fair housing, and volunteered for local groups including Head Start and the Community Settlement Association. She passed away in February of 2009 from cancer.

Carolyn "Connie" Confer served as the assistant city attorney for Riverside, and has been a passionate advocate for changing attitudes towards the LGBTQ community for decades. Confer and Smith were partners for 29 years, and were married in October of 2008. They cofounded the Political Action Coalition for Elections (PACE), which was active in local politics for 13 years.