Politics

HRC Endorses Sarah McBride

by
Sarah McBride

Today, HRC endorsed history-maker Sarah McBride in her bid for the Delaware State Senate. 

If elected, McBride will become the first openly transgender person to serve in a State Senate anywhere in the United States. McBride created history most recently in 2016 as the first openly transgender person to speak at a major national party convention when she addressed the 2016 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. 

“From the Delaware General Assembly to the halls of the White House and Congress, Sarah McBride has demonstrated her ability to bring about change,” said HRC President Alphonso David. “At a time when equality is under attack at the federal level, it has never been more important for states like Delaware to show the nation what is possible when we reject the politics of division and embrace the politics of progress. We’re proud to endorse Sarah’s historic candidacy, and cannot wait to call her Senator McBride.”

Sarah McBride has spent her life fighting for dignity and a fair shot for everyone. In 2013, McBride led the successful effort to pass a landmark non-discrimination bill in Delaware. Since then, she’s helped inspire our nation with her own personal story and her historic work both in Delaware and around the country.

As a leading voice in the fight for LGBTQ equality, McBride was instrumental ushering in historic progress under the Obama administration and in the recent passage of the Equality Act in the U.S. House of Representatives, the first time in American history a chamber of Congress passed a comprehensive LGBTQ civil rights bill. McBride has been a vocal advocate against gender-based violence, for voting rights, for common-sense gun safety measures, for comprehensive health care and for economic opportunity for all.

Sarah has served as National Press Secretary for the Human Rights Campaign since 2016 and a member of the Board of Directors of Equality Delaware since 2013. Prior to joining HRC, McBride served as the Campaigns and Communications Manager for LGBT Research and Communications Project at the Center for American Progress (CAP). McBride has also worked for Governor Jack Markell (D-DE) and former Attorney General Beau Biden (D-DE). McBride was the first out transgender woman to intern at the White House, and graduated from American University. During her time at American University, she served as student body president and made national headlines when she came out as transgender in the student newspaper.

Texas Legislation Poses Threat to Local LGBTQ Community

by
Equality Texas

Equality Texas, the largest statewide organization solely dedicated to securing full equality for LGBTQ Texans condemned today’s Senate passage of Lt. Governor Dan Patrick and Senator Charles Perry’s SB 17, the #1 threat to the LGBTQ community.

Lt. Governor Dan Patrick’s new attack on LGBTQ Texans, SB 17, is a sweeping bill that would empower and protect discriminatory behavior across hundreds of professional activities – including medical care, where providers or clinic owners could refuse treatment for LGBTQ people in need of care.

Equality Texas urges Texans to demonstrate their opposition to SB 17 and urge the Texas House of Representatives to reject this discriminatory legislation.

“Dan Patrick has doubled down on his attack on the LGBTQ community, moving out of bathrooms and into every single licensed profession in Texas,” said Samantha Smoot, Interim Executive Director of Equality Texas. 

The newly-prioritized SB 17 will create dangerous “religious exemptions” for virtually every licensed occupation in Texas – hundreds of professions, from barbers to tow truck operators to doctors. If an occupational license holder were to call on “sincerely held religious belief” in taking a discriminatory action, the licensing agency that oversees the occupation would have no recourse to remedy that discrimination. This includes health care providers, who could turn away sick and injured people seeking care (unless immediate live-saving measures were needed), based just patient’s identity, or that of their parents. Lt. Gov. Patrick has placed this bill on his “top 30” priority list, signaling his intention to pass it.

There are an additional 15 bills that would make a mockery of religious freedom, guaranteeing that discrimination will be permitted. The bills would allow businesses, licensed professionals and even government officials to use religion to exempt themselves from nondiscrimination laws and policies, including licensing and professional standards.

“Religious freedom is a fundamental American value protected in our U.S. Constitution.  But religious freedom was never intended to be a license to discriminate,” said Smoot. “SB 17 would create a religious litmus test, and open the doors to discrimination and to real harm to LGBTQ Texans.  Dan Patrick has launched a whole new war against LGBTQ people, and this ‘license to discriminate’ bill is our #1 threat this session.” 

###

Equality Texas is the largest statewide organization working to secure full equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer Texans through political action, education, community organizing, and collaboration. The Equality Texas Foundation works to secure full equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer Texans through education, community organizing, and collaboration.

Equality Act: Survey of 50 States Finds Broad Support for LGBT Rights Across the United States

by
Equality Act

A landmark national survey of over 40,000 Americans, including results for all 50 states, released by the Public Religion Research Institute finds approximately seven in 10 (69 percent) Americans support nondiscrimination protections for LGBT people today. The survey also finds nearly six in 10 (57 percent) Americans oppose allowing small businesses to refuse services to gay and lesbian people based on religious objections. More than six in 10 (62 percent) Americans also support same-sex marriage. The only major groups in which a majority oppose same-sex marriage are white evangelical Protestants and Republicans.

Majorities in All States Support Nondiscrimination Protections for LGBT People
Approximately seven in 10 (69 percent) Americans—including majorities in all 50 states—favor laws protecting LGBT people from discrimination in jobs, public accommodations, and housing, virtually unchanged from 2017 levels (70 percent). Though support is highest in Northeastern (72 percent) and Western (72 percent) states, majorities in the Midwest (68 percent) and South (65 percent) are also supportive. Even in states with the lowest levels of support, such as South Carolina (58 percent) and Arkansas (56 percent), solid majorities support these policies.

“The broad support for laws to protect LGBT people from discrimination represents a rarity in our polarized politics today—an issue that actually brings Americans together across partisan, religious, and geographic lines,” notes PRRI CEO Robert P. Jones.

The nationwide strength of support for nondiscrimination protections for LGBT people transcends age and religion. Three in four Americans ages 18-29 (76 percent) favor these protections, as do 59 percent of Americans ages 65 and over.

Solid majorities of all major religious groups in the U.S. support laws protecting LGBT people from discrimination in housing, public accommodations, and the workplace. Among major religious groups, the strongest supporters of LGBT nondiscrimination protections are Unitarian Universalists (90 percent), Jews (80 percent), Hindus (79 percent), Buddhists (75 percent), and religiously unaffiliated Americans (78 percent). Even majorities of faith traditions that have been historically more opposed to LGBT rights support these protections. Fully seven in 10 Mormons (70 percent), along with 65 percent of black Protestants, 60 percent of Muslims, 54 percent of white evangelical Protestants, and 53 percent of Jehovah’s Witnesses favor LGBT nondiscrimination laws.

Majorities of Democrats (79 percent), independents (70 percent), and Republicans (56 percent) also favor such protections, though Republican support has slipped five percentage points over the last few years, down from 61 percent support in 2015.

All Racial Groups, Most Religious Groups Oppose Allowing Businesses to Refuse Services to LGBT Customers 
A majority of Americans (57 percent) oppose allowing a small business owner in their state to refuse products or services to gay or lesbian people based on their religious beliefs. Opposition to religiously-based refusals to serve gay and lesbian people is slightly lower than support in 2017 (60 percent) and 2016 (61 percent) but consistent with support levels in 2015 (59 percent).

Majorities of residents in 40 states believe small business owners in their state should not be allowed to refuse service to gay and lesbian people. While there are no states in which a majority support religiously-based refusals to serve gay or lesbian people, opposition falls short of a majority in 10 states: Arkansas (50 percent), Kansas (50 percent), Alabama (49 percent), Nevada (49 percent), Utah (49 percent), Louisiana (48 percent), Oklahoma (48 percent), Idaho (47 percent), Tennessee (47 percent). Alaska is the only state with plurality support for religiously-based service refusals (46 percent favor, 42 percent oppose).

Younger Americans ages 18-29 (63 percent) are noticeably more likely than seniors over the age of 65 (52 percent) to oppose religiously-based refusals to serve gay or lesbian people.

Americans of all racial and ethnic groups oppose religiously-based service refusals. Black (66 percent) and Hispanic (60 percent) Americans are most likely to oppose allowing businesses to refuse service to gay or lesbian people because of religious objections. White (54 percent) and Native Americans (52 percent) are least likely to oppose such service refusals, though a majority remain against them. 

Majorities of most major religious groups oppose religiously-based refusals to serve gay or lesbian people. The greatest opposition comes from Unitarian Universalists (83 percent), Jews (68 percent), religiously unaffiliated Americans (66 percent), Buddhists (66 percent) and Muslims (60 percent). White evangelical Protestants (55 percent) and Mormons (54 percent) are the only religious groups where a majority support allowing small business owners to refuse service to gay and lesbian customers if doing so violates their religious beliefs. Jehovah’s Witnesses have no majority opinion: a plurality (43 percent) are opposed, while almost as many are in favor (39 percent); 18 percent offer no opinion.

Opposition to religiously-based service refusals varies dramatically by political affiliation. Three-quarters of Democrats (75 percent) and a majority of independents (56 percent) oppose allowing businesses to refuse service to gay or lesbian people based on religious objections. Only 36 percent of Republicans oppose religiously-based refusals to serve gay or lesbian people, compared to nearly six in 10 (59 percent) who support such a policy. Conservative Republicans exhibit significantly more support for religiously-based service refusals (65 percent), compared to moderate (44 percent) and liberal (35 percent) Republicans. 

Support for Same-Sex Marriage Remains Widespread
Support for same-sex marriage has continued growing since the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2015 rule that established a constitutional right to marry for same-sex couples. More than six in 10 (62 percent) Americans now say gay and lesbian couples should be allowed to marry legally, while only about half as many (30 percent) are opposed. The increased support for same-sex marriage over the last decade has been dramatic: In 2007, over one in three (36 percent) Americans supported same-sex marriage, while 55 percent were opposed.

Majority support for same-sex marriage extends across all regions of the nation. Residents of Northeastern (70 percent) and Western (67 percent) states are the strongest supporters of same-sex marriage. Robust majorities in the Midwest (60 percent) and South (56 percent) support it as well.

Nearly eight in 10 (79 percent) young Americans (ages 18-29) support gay marriage, with only 16 percent opposed. Even among seniors (ages 65 and older), nearly half (49 percent) favor same-sex marriage today, compared to 43 percent who are opposed.

Majorities of all racial and ethnic groups support same-sex marriage. The strongest levels of support come from Asian-Pacific Islander Americans (75 percent), Americans who identify with another race or as mixed race (68 percent), and Hispanic Americans (65 percent). But majorities of white (62 percent), black (56 percent), and Native Americans (55 percent) also support same-sex marriage.

Most major religious groups in the U.S. now support same-sex marriage, including an overwhelming majority of religiously unaffiliated Americans (82 percent). White evangelical Protestants are the only major religious group in which a majority oppose same-sex marriage (31 percent favor, 60 percent oppose).

Strong majorities of Democrats (77 percent) and independents (65 percent) favor same-sex marriage. While only four in 10 (41 percent) of Republicans currently favor same-sex marriage, support among Republicans has risen by 10 percentage points since 2011, when only 31 percent favored this policy. 

Methodology:
The American Values Atlas (AVA) is a project of PRRI. The survey was designed and conducted by PRRI and was made possible by generous grants from The Nathan Cummings Foundation, The Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund, The Gill Foundation, The E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation, and the United Universalist Veatch Program at Shelter Rock. Results for the nondiscrimination laws and religiously-based service refusal questions are based on a subset of 40,292 telephone interviews (including 24,149 cell phone interviews) conducted between March 14, 2018 and December 16, 2018. The margin of error for these questions is +/- 0.5 percentage points at the 95 percent level of confidence. Results for the same-sex marriage question are based on a subset of 4,028 telephone interviews (including 2,413 cell phone interviews) conducted between March 14, 2018 and March 25, 2018 and between June 27, 2018 and July 8, 2018. The margin of error for the same-sex marriage question subsample is +/-1.5 percentage points at the 95 percent level of confidence.

NCAVP Mourns the Death of Ashanti Carmon

by
Ashanti Carmon

NCAVP mourns the death of Ashanti Carmon, a 27-year-old black trans woman in Washington D.C. According to media reports, Ashanti was died of gun shot wounds last Saturday on the eve of Transgender Day of Visibility. Carmon’s fiancé, Phillip Williams, told NBC News that they had been on a movie date the day before she was found dead.

“Until I leave this Earth, I’m going to continue on loving her in my heart, body, and soul,” Williams said. “She did not deserve to leave this Earth so early, especially in the way that she went out. She did not deserve that.”

NCAVP’s latest report, issued earlier this year, Hate Violence and Intimate Partner Violence in LGBTQ and HIV-affected Communities highlights the disproportionate risk for severe and fatal violence faced by trans women of color, like Ashanti. Local community held a vigil on April 2 to honor Ashanti’s memory

It can be hard to read these reports of violence against our communities. If you need support in these difficult times, you can always reach out to your local NCAVP member. If you or someone you know is experiencing violence, you can reach our free bilingual national hotline at 212-714-1141 or report onlinefor support.

NCAVP works to prevent, respond to, and end all forms of violence against and within lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ) and HIV-affected communities. NCAVP is a national coalition of local member programs and affiliate organizations who create systemic and social change. NCAVP is a program of the New York City Anti-Violence Project.

MX: United Airlines Offers Non-Binary Gender Booking Options

by
United Airlines Continues to Lead in Inclusivity by Offering Non-Binary Gender Booking Options

United Airlines has become the first U.S. airline to offer non-binary gender options throughout all booking channels in addition to providing the option to select the title “Mx.” during booking and in a MileagePlus customer profile. Customers now have the ability to identify themselves as M(male), F(female), U(undisclosed) or X(unspecified), corresponding with what is indicated on their passports or identification.

“United is determined to lead the industry in LGBT inclusivity, and we are so proud to be the first U.S. airline to offer these inclusive booking options for our customers,” said United’s Chief Customer Officer Toby Enqvist. “United is excited to share with our customers, whether they identify along the binary of male or female or not, that we are taking the steps to exhibit our care for them while also providing additional employee training to make us even more welcoming for all customers and employees.”

As part of implementing these new changes, United has worked with the Human Rights Campaign and The Trevor Project on employee training initiatives. These initiatives include teaching employees about preferred pronouns and the persistence of gender norms, LGBT competency in the workplace and other steps to make United an inclusive space for both customers and employees.

“At the Human Rights Campaign, we believe being acknowledged as the gender you identify with is part of treating everyone with dignity and respect,” said Beck Bailey, acting director of the Workplace Equality Program. “By providing non-binary gender selection for ticketing and the gender-inclusive honorific ‘Mx’ in user profiles, United Airlines is taking an important step forward for non-binary inclusion.”

“The Trevor Project is grateful for United Airlines’ support of our life-saving work on behalf of LGBTQ youth,” said Amit Paley, CEO & Executive Director of The Trevor Project. “We are thrilled to bring Trevor’s expertise on the mental health of LGBTQ people to United to ensure its employees maintain safe and inclusive spaces for LGBTQ employees and guests.”

Alongside partner organizations, customers, and employees, United will continue working to build the world’s most inclusive airline. The changes to the booking process are now currently available.

Ruthie and Connie LGBT Elder Americans Act

by
Ruthie and Connie LGBT Elder Americans Act

United States Representative Suzanne Bonamici, along with her House colleagues Ted Deutch and Charlie Crist, have re-introduced the Ruthie and Connie LGBT Elder Americans Act, a critical LGBT aging bill named after lesbian activists Ruthie Berman and her late wife Connie Kurtz.

The bill, endorsed by SAGE, would be a significant step forward in protecting LGBT elders, who face higher rates of poverty, pronounced social isolation, and less access to health care. If passed, it would ensure that LGBT elders and older people living with HIV have improved access to aging services and supports under the Older Americans Act, the country’s largest vehicle for funding and delivering services to older people in the U.S. This legislation follows yesterday’s re-introduction of the Equality Act, a federal LGBT civil rights bill that would protect the LGBT and gender nonconforming community against discrimination.

“Congress is ready to take action to protect LGBT rights. The 50th anniversary of Stonewall is coming up this year. It’s been 50 years, and we’re making progress,” said U.S. Representative Suzanne Bonamici speaking during SAGE’s National Day of Advocacy on March 13. “When I met with SAGE, I met an older gentleman who said that in order to get in-home care, he felt like he had to take down all of his pictures and hide who he was. That is wrong. That’s why we need to pass this bill.”

Ruthie Berman, 84, is a former New Yorker who now resides in Florida. She and her wife, Connie Kurtz, who passed away in 2018, successfully sued the New York Board of Education for domestic partner benefits in 1994. The couple went on to win many more achievements as LGBT activists.

“While we’ve made progress in our fight for LGBT equality, we still have work to do,” said 84-year-old Ruthie Berman, a lesbian activist and namesake of the bill. “My beloved Connie Kurtz passed away on May 27, 2018. I know Connie’s spirit is here, and that she would be proud to see the incredible advances that the LGBT community is achieving. LGBT people, especially older people, across the country still face challenges in accessing aging services and supports. That’s why this legislation is so important, and why it must be passed.”

“We are thrilled to see the introduction of the Ruthie Connie LGBT Elder Americans Act – the day after SAGE’s first ever National Day of Advocacy. Ruthie Berman, the bill’s namesake, met Congresswoman Bonamici and passionately made the case for protections. It’s been 50 years since Stonewall. It’s been five decades since that uprising. It’s high time that our LGBT trailblazers are protected and can access services,” said SAGE CEO Michael Adams. “We commend the leadership of Congresswoman Bonamici and thank each Member of Congress—including Representatives Ted Deutch, Charlie Crist, and David Cicilline, as well as Senator Jeff Merkley—who are taking a stand to better protect millions of older LGBT people across the country.”

LGBTQ Health Equity and the BRFSS

by

If you care about LGBTQ Health Equity, then chances are you need to know more about the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, or BRFSS. BRFSS is the nation’s premier system of health-related telephone surveys that collect state data about U.S. residents regarding their health-related risk behaviors, chronic health conditions, and use of preventive services.

The survey is conducted in all 50 States and the District of Columbia. While most questions are standard, some supplemental questions vary by state, and a growing number of states are choosing to include questions about sexual orientation and gender identity/expression in order to better understand the disparities LGBTQ people experience.

The National LGBT Cancer network has developed a new fact sheet about the BRFSS. They write: “Understanding health disparities faced by LGBT Americans begins with SGM measures in population-level surveillance systems like the BRFSS. A critical first step in assessing the existence of and trends related to the health disparities many SGM populations face is to ensure that LGBT-specific demographic measure such as the BRFSS’ SGM’s optional module, also known as sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) module is adopted.”

Read the entire fact sheet below:

Advancing Sexual and Gender Minority Measures in the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System

Download

Happy Birthday Karl Frisch

by
Karl Frisch for School Board

Today is Karl Frisch’s birthday. Karl is turning 41, so I am joining many of his friends and supporters by donating $41 to support his campaign for School Board in Fairfax County, Virginia (Providence District).

I first met Karl Frisch many years ago working on a political campaign, and after so many years of working brilliantly on other people’s campaigns, I am excited to seeing him run for office himself.

As his partner Evan Ayars stated, “If Karl wins, he will be the first openly LGBTQ local elected official in Fairfax County history. But that isn’t why he is running. He will be a bold voice on the school board fighting for equity, equality, environmental sustainability, strong fiscal stewardship, and educational excellence for every student regardless of who they are or where they live.”

Please join me in celebrating Karl’s campaign by making your own $41 donation at:

https://secure.actblue.com/donate/kf-bday

Karl is not taking money from  corporate political action committees or special interests, which makes your support all the more important. Please donate what you can and join me in wishing Karl a Happy Birthday!

Sitting at the Table: Medical Research Advocacy

by
Sitting at the Table

Your voice matters. As a community activist your voice is needed when it comes to medical research, especially when researchers are recruiting trial participants from your community or trying to address health issues that impact your community.

Sitting at the table for the first time, however, can be intimidating. Many years ago, JD Davids put together these tips for Project TEACH, with help from Charles Nelson, Kiyoshi Kuromiya, and Jane Shull. These tips remain as relevant today as they were when they were first written.

1. Remember the people who aren’t in the room: You are there to represent your community, not to impress the other people at the table. You must be clear about what your community needs and wants, and report back information to people who are not there. If you are sitting on a scientific committee designing research, you don’t have to be a scientist — you need to think about and talk about how their research will affect your community. Don’t be afraid to go back and ask your community what they think.

2. Set goals to focus your participation: Your homework is to know the issue, and figure out how it affects you and your community. What can this group or committee do about this issue? Your goals must be clear, wellthought out, and possible for this group of individuals to do at this time. You can have goals for each meeting, and overall goals for the committee’s work. What goals must be met, and what goals are you willing to compromise in order to win the most important things? Discuss these with your contacts and supporters. If you learn more or situations change, look again at your goals and change them if necessary.

3. Be truly present: You need to be there physically, mentally, and emotionally. The first key to this is showing up. Go to all the meetings. If they do not meet at times you can attend, demand that the times change, or find someone else to take your place. If they communicate through conference calls, be on all the calls, or you may miss important information.

Listen to everything. It is not helpful for you to demand an answer to a question that was already answered 10 minutes ago. Try your best to keep track of the conversation. If you ask a question, you must listen to the answer — do not assume you know what they are going to say. It is very easy to get distracted, especially on conference calls. Try to notice when you are not listening, and learn to concentrate on what is going on. Bring a tape recorder if you have trouble remembering the details or taking notes, and review it later.

Stay awake. If you find yourself getting sleepy, stand up or walk around if possible. Go to the bathroom and splash cold water on your face. Don’t load up on coffee and sweets — it can just lead to a crash. Snacks like nuts and fruit can give you a better energy boost.

Focus on what you do understand, not what you don’t yet understand. It is easy to become discouraged, but remember that you have support and can learn. Picture ideas in your head at first, rather than trying to write down details, especially with scientific and treatment issues.

4. Make all your comments and get your questions answered, sooner or later: You always have the right to ask questions. If you do not understand something, and no one is helping you, interrupt the meeting and demand an explanation. If you have a comment to make, do not let the conversation or meeting end until that comment is made.

If you ask a question, and feel that it was not answered all the way, point that out. If you still feel like you are getting the run-around, you have to make a decision — should you continue to interrupt the meeting, or will you give up for now and get your answer later from one of your contacts? Either decision is the right one at different times — it will become easier to tell with experience.

If you are not sure of how to say something important or sensitive during a meeting, make yourself a note. Then work with your contacts and supporters afterwards to write a letter to all the committee members, stating your position, and email or fax it to them or bring it to the next meeting.

Don’t be afraid of disagreements, even with your contacts and allies. A good working relationship can include arguments, so people know where you stand and that they can’t walk over you. Do stay open and honest without making personal attacks.

Sometimes you may have to pick your battles, and let things go if you can get an answer outside the meeting, or come back with a stronger suggestion or proposal next time. Remember, you are there to meet your goals, in order to help your community. If you call someone a “murderer” the first time you have a minor disagreement or because they say something dumb, they may never listen to anything you say again. Some people will say ignorant or offensive things to distract you from the real issues — don’t fall for it.

Avoid making up facts and figures. You may get caught. If you are pretty sure, say “I think that…” or “I believe that…”, and hope that someone else in the room can back you up. Or write a note to a contact near-by, asking if they know and can make the point. Sometimes you may need to bluff to bring out an important issue or make a point. You can act like you know the details without saying any. Use words like “approximately,” “about,” or “roughly” to describe your best guess, as in “About half the people dropped out of the study because of side effects. Obviously there is a problem here.”

5. Get in on the details. Most of your goals may be for big issues and decisions. But smaller things can make a large difference, too. Sometimes the people who write the final wording of a policy or decision have the most power. Do not give your okay for a general statement and go home — help write it, or demand to see a copy before it is made final or sent out!

GENDA Moves Forward in New York State

by
The GLBT Center of New York

Glennda Testone, Executive Director of The Center (the LGBT Community Center of New York City, made the following statement in in regards to the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act:

After years of fierce advocacy and activism in transgender and gender nonconforming communities, it is with great pleasure that The Center wholeheartedly applauds New York State lawmakers for passing the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA, A747/S1047), a major step forward in ensuring that transgender, gender nonconforming and nonbinary (TGNCNB) people are treated fairly and equally under the law. By adding gender identity and expression as a protected class under the Human Rights Law, GENDA provides TGNCNB people with protection against harassment and discrimination in employment, housing and public spaces like restaurants and shops.

This hard-fought victory is a result of more than a decade of dedicated activism, bravery and persistence, led by TGNCNB advocates and allies across New York State and beyond. We thank them for never giving up on this crucial piece of legislation and fighting so that TGNCNB people in our community are affirmed, protected and celebrated.

We also applaud the passage of A576/S1046, legislation that now bans the dangerous and medically-discredited practice known as ‘conversion therapy’ in New York State. By banning conversion therapy, New York will protect LGBTQ youth, especially TGNCNB youth, from being unduly victimized and traumatized simply for living their authentic lives.

The Center was proud to include GENDA and the statewide ban on conversion therapy as key priorities for our advocacy initiative, RiseOut, as part of a broad, unified effort to pass LGBTQ-affirming legislation with LGBTQ community leaders from every region of the state.

As we celebrate the historic progress made today, we must also recognize that one law is not a cure-all for the systemic oppression and discrimination that TGNCNB New Yorkers face. To most effectively protect marginalized communities who continue to be disproportionately impacted by hate crimes and targeted by the criminal justice system, lawmakers must also address the overrepresentation of queer, TGNCNB people and people of color in the criminal justice system. To this end, The Center has proposed a reporting bill as a companion to GENDA that would gather data to help legislators understand how criminal penalties under the Hate Crimes Act are applied. It will report on the sexual orientation, gender identity and racial or ethnic identity of victims and alleged perpetrators of hate crimes.

Today represents a bright moment in New York State’s progressive history. We applaud our legislature’s steadfast leadership and commitment to civil rights as we look forward to continuing our work to build a stronger, more inclusive New York State where all LGBTQ people are welcomed, affirmed and fully protected.

Glennda Testone,
Executive Director