Hoylman Blasts Senate Vote to Commemorate Boy Scouts of America with Official State License Plates

Hoylman: “This is a license to discriminate.”

ALBANY - State Senator Brad Hoylman said: “This is a ‘license to discriminate.’ New York State should not be commemorating the Boy Scouts of America with official state license plates while this organization continues  to ban gay adults from being troop leaders and is under investigation by the State Attorney General for its employment practices.

“I debated and opposed S.3123 on the Senate floor today because the policies of the Boy Scouts run counter to Section 296 of the New York State Human Rights Law, which states that  it shall be an "unlawful discriminatory practice" for an employer or licensing agency to refuse to hire or employ an individual or to bar or to discharge an individual from employment based on the individual’s sexual orientation. 

“It’s very disappointing that this bill passed the Senate and might lead some to believe New York State condones discrimination against LGBT people, especially since the rights of LGBT people are under assault in different parts of the country like Louisiana, where Governor Bobby Jindal has announced an executive order permitting discrimination of LGBT people.

“I’m hopeful that my colleagues in the State Assembly will reject this legislation outright.”

See a link to the Senator’s floor speech on this bill today here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvxVCxhcbpU