New York Senate Judiciary Committee to Vote on Gender Identity Protections

The New York Senate Judiciary Committee is set to vote tomorrow on the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA), the bill (S.2406) has previously passed the State Assembly twice but faces obstacles in the more conservative Senate.

The bill if passed would outlaw discrimination on the basis of gender identity/expression in New York state. Currently it is legal in New York to be fired from your job, kicked out of your home or be denied credit or public accommodations (like service in a restaurant) simply for being transgender.

To pass the Judiciary Committee 12 votes are needed, insiders say GENDA already has 11 supporters and needs one more to move on to a full senate vote.

UNCONFIRMED VOTES

DeFrancisco -- Onandaga County (518-455-3511 Email)

Saland -- Columbia, Dutchess Counties (518-455-2411 Email)

LaValle -- Suffolk County (518-455-3121 Email)

Winner -- Chemung, Schuyler, Steuben, Tompkins, Yates Counties (518-455-2091 Email)

Lanza -- Richmond (518-455-3215 Email)

Leibell -- Dutchess, Putnam, Westchester Counties (518-455-3111 Email)

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Contact your state senator if you are resident of New York state to vote in favor of the legislation.

New Yorker's Call Senate for GENDA

Today the New York LGBT advocacy organization Empire State Pride Agenda is urging New Yorkers to demand the senate vote on the Gender Expression Non Discrimination Act (GENDA). The bill if passed will outlaw discrimination based on gender identity and expression. GENDA has already been passed in the Assembly and now needs to be voted on by the Senate.

-Due to difficulty with job discrimination, one-fifth of transgender New Yorkers have incomes below $10,000 a year.

-28% of transgender New Yorkers have experienced a serious physical or sexual assault motivated by hate.

GENDA has widespread support, 78% of New York voters, Unions representing 2.1 million working New Yorkers, 30 Fortune 500 companies based in cities like Rochester, Corning, New York City and White Plains, and 547 clergy and lay leaders representing over 20 different denominations.

Please call your state senator and urge them to bring (S.2406/Duane) The Gender Expression Non Discrimination Act to the floor and to vote in the affirmative.

Campaign to Win GENDA in New York State!

There is hope that the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA) has enough votes to pass in the New York State Senate and Assembly in the upcoming weeks.

The time is now to get active and push for the bill to come up for a vote. Empire State Pride Agenda urges you to...

1. Call Senator Tom Duane, lead sponsor of GENDA, at (518) 455-2451. Ask Senator Duane to bring the bill to the floor for a vote in February.

2. Call your own Senator to tell them that you expect them to bring GENDA (S.2406) to the floor and vote in support of it. You can find your State Senator's Albany phone number here.

Here are some talking points for your calls:

-Due to difficulty with job discrimination, one-fifth of transgender New Yorkers have incomes below $10,000 a year.

-28% of transgender New Yorkers have experienced a serious physical or sexual assault motivated by hate.

GENDA has widespread support, 78% of New York voters, Unions representing 2.1 million working New Yorkers, 30 Fortune 500 companies based in cities like Rochester, Corning, New York City and White Plains, and 547 clergy and lay leaders representing over 20 different denominations.

New York Statewide GENDA Call-In Day

Today is New York statewide Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA) S.2406 Call-In Day. The bill has passed the assembly and not awaits action by senate committee.

Take action to get S.2406 approved by the senate and signed into law.

Tell Senate sponsor Tom Duane - (518) 455-2451 to bring GENDA to a full senate vote. Then contact your state senator if you are resident of New York state to vote in favor of the legislation.

Ask Your Assemblymember to Support Marriage & GENDA in New York

The 2009 legislative session is here. We need you to make sure your Assemblymember supports marriage equality and the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act when these bills come before them again in the coming months. The Assembly passed the marriage bill for the first time by a vote of 85-61 in June 2007 and the GENDA bill by a vote of 108-34 in June 2008.

Click here to contact your New York district Assemblymember.

New Yorker's Thank Your Assemblymembers for Vote on GENDA

"The New York State Assembly just voted 102-33 to pass the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA) and amend the state’s human rights law to include anti-discrimination protections based on gender identity and expression. This is the first time that GENDA has ever made it to the floor of the Assembly for a vote!

We now need you to take a moment to thank your Assemblymember for voting for GENDA. We often call on our elected officials to act on issues that are important to us, and we need to be sure that they know we appreciate what they’ve done once they’ve acted."

PRIDE AGENDA Action Center E-Alert!