New York, NY, January 25, 2019 … Today, ADL (the Anti-Defamation League) welcomed Governor Cuomo’s historic signing of two monumental pieces of pro-LGBTQ legislation. The Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA) (S.1047) adds gender identity as a protected category under New York’s discrimination and hate crime laws. Conversion therapy ban legislation (S.1046) will prohibit mental health professionals from engaging in sexual orientation change efforts with patients under the age of eighteen.
ADL’s New York / New Jersey Regional Director, Evan R. Bernstein released the following statement:
It was an honor to stand alongside so many fellow advocates and community leaders today at Governor Cuomo’s historic signing of GENDA and conversion therapy ban legislation.
Conversion therapy is based on the erroneous claim that being gay is an illness that needs to be cured. For decades, this view has been resolutely rejected by the American Medical Association, the American Psychological Association, and other prominent medical and mental health groups. ADL commends New York lawmakers and Governor Cuomo for standing with LGBTQ+ youth and ensuring that this practice can no longer be used by medical professionals to harm young people in our state.
In addition, we welcome the Governor’s historic signing of GENDA—a law that has failed to pass for over a decade. This law will help ensure that all New Yorkers, regardless of their gender identity or expression, are treated with dignity and respect in areas of housing, employment and public accommodation, and are afforded a remedy under New York’s hate crime laws. At a time when hate crimes against the LGBTQ+ community are a serious concern, our lawmakers have taken an essential step towards ensuring that our laws finally reflect one of our state’s core values – that New York is, simply put, no place for hate.
ADL is a leading anti-hate organization. Founded in 1913 in response to an escalating climate of anti-Semitism and bigotry, its timeless mission is to protect the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment for all. Today, ADL continues to fight all forms of hate with the same vigor and passion. ADL is the first call when acts of anti-Semitism occur. A global leader in exposing extremism, delivering anti-bias education and fighting hate online, ADL’s ultimate goal is a world in which no group or individual suffers from bias, discrimination or hate. More at www.adl.org.