STATEMENT BY SENATOR HOYLMAN ON DEFEAT OF TRANSGENDER CIVIL RIGHTS BILL ALONG PARTY LINES
May 15, 2018
Hoylman: “In 21st century New York State, it’s appalling that Senate Republicans would vote along party lines against transgender rights.”
State Senator Brad Hoylman (D/WF-Manhattan), ranking member of the New York State Senate Investigations and Government Operations Committee and the only openly-LGBT member of the NY State Senate, issued the following statement in response to the defeat along party lines of GENDA, the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (S.7010/A.3358), which prohibits discrimination based on gender identity or expression and seeks to add transgender New Yorkers to those protected by the Hate Crimes Law:
Senator Hoylman said: “In 21st century New York State, it’s appalling that Senate Republicans would vote along party lines against GENDA. Human rights shouldn’t be a partisan issue – and they aren’t in other states. Earlier this month, in fact, the Republican legislature in New Hampshire passed protections for LGBT people, making it possible that New York will soon be the only state in the northeast without statutory protections for its transgender citizens.
As the Trump Administration continues to roll back protections for LGBT Americans, New York has the obligation to protect its transgender citizens from discrimination and hate crimes. Unfortunately, the State Senate failed miserably in its duties. Moving forward, I’ll continue to fight for passage of GENDA in a new State Senate after the midterms.”
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