On Transgender Remembrance Day, "It's Time to Make GENDA the Law of the Land"

NEW YORK- Senator Brad Hoylman (D/WF-Manhattan), lead Senate sponsor of the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA) (S7010/A3358), Senate Democratic Conference Leader Andrea Stewart Cousins (D-Yonkers) and Assemblymember Richard N. Gottfried (D/WF-Manhattan), lead Assembly sponsor of GENDA, released the following statements in honor of Transgender Remembrance Day. GENDA would expand New York’s anti-discrimination laws to include the categories of gender identity and expression.

Senator Hoylman said: “It’s time to make the GENDA the law of the land once and for all.  New York is the only state in the northeast without statutory protections for its transgender citizens, including hate crimes. It’s shameful that the GENDA has been blocked for years by the New York State Senate, where I serve as the only openly-LGBTQ senator.  As we memorialize transgender New Yorkers who’ve been victims of violence and hatred, we must redouble our efforts to fight the Trump Administration’s rollback of protections for LGBTQ Americans and pass GENDA in the new legislative session, bringing New York’s human rights law into the 21st century.”

Senate Democratic Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said: “No one should be killed, abused, mistreated, or degraded simply for being who they are. That is a message we must all take to heart, on Transgender Day of Remembrance and on all days. I applaud my colleague Senator Brad Hoylman for his leadership on this issue and I am proud to work with him and our Senate Democratic colleagues to ensure state government protects the rights of all New Yorkers.”

Assemblymember Richard N. Gottfried said: "Transgender people - whose gender identity, appearance, behavior or expression differs from their genetic sex at birth - face discrimination in housing, employment, public accommodations and other areas of life, and they are particularly vulnerable to hate crimes. It's an embarrassment to New Yorkers that 19 states and the District of Columbia have enacted laws barring discrimination on the basis of gender expression or identity before us.  I am hopeful that this year we can finally honor the Transgender Day of Remembrance by passing the bill in our newly Democratic State Senate."