New York, NY, October 23, 2015 … The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today lauded Governor Cuomo’s announcement of an executive action designed to protect transgender people in New York State from discrimination.
Governor Cuomo, in making the announcement on October 22, said that he would direct the New York State Division of Human Rights to issue regulations that extend protections against discrimination to cover gender identity, transgender status and gender dysphoria in the areas of employment, housing, public accommodations, education and credit.
“We welcome these new regulations and applaud Governor Cuomo’s leadership in providing an important measure of protection for transgender New Yorkers,” said Evan R. Bernstein, ADL New York Regional Director. “For too long, transgender New Yorkers have remained at risk to discrimination in their workplaces, in their homes and in public, and this announcement levels the playing field.”
Mr. Bernstein added, “At the same time, we recognize that there are limits to what can be accomplished by executive action, and the Governor could not use such action to expand New York State’s hate crimes law to explicitly include gender identity. We hope this necessary expansion will be taken up by the Legislature in 2016.”
ADL has developed lesson plans that provide high school students the opportunity to learn more about transgender identity and issues, the barriers faced by people who identify as transgender or are gender non-conforming, and how schools can be safe and welcoming for transgender and gender non-conforming students.
In August, ADL announced the formation of a new campaign to improve legal response to hate crimes across the United States. 50 States Against Hate: An Initiative for Stronger Hate Crime Laws will work toward the passage of hate crime laws in the five states which do not have them – Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, South Carolina and Wyoming – while simultaneously seeking to make existing hate crime laws in the other 45 states more inclusive and comprehensive.
The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world’s leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry. Follow us on Twitter: @ADL_NY