Governor David Paterson Signs Executive Order Protecting Transgender NY State Employees
December 16, 2009
This morning, before a room packed with advocates, allies, and journalists at the LGBT Community Center in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village, New York Governor David Paterson signed Executive Order No. 33 prohibiting discrimination against any employees of New York State agencies on the basis of their gender identity or expression.
Word of his intention to do so spread quickly yesterday after The New York Times received the news. He followed through today in grand style, joined at the podium by state legislators, including Senator Tom Duane, Assemblyman Richard Gottfried, Assemblywoman Deborah Glick, Assemblyman Micah Kellner, and Assemblyman Daniel O’Donnell.
NY1 quoted Gov. Paterson saying, “The transgender community has had to wait for what are the same freedoms and equalities that everyone else enjoys, in terms of employment and choices all around this state. And as far as state employees are concerned, that problem ends today.”
The governor emphasized that while his executive order cannot be as sweeping as similar state legislation would be, it can nonetheless pave the way for larger steps toward LGBT equality in the near future. Paterson cheerfully quipped that this order represented one of the lessons he had learned in politics: “If you want something done, you have to do it yourself.” And to those skeptical of the distance New York has yet to come in order to protect transgender and gender non-conforming workers from discrimination, he promised, “You’ve only seen the first act. You haven’t seen the grand finale.”
FOX 40 has posted a summary of this morning’s signing, including statements from the many supportive legislators and transgender rights advocates around the state.
Prominent among them were the sentiments of Senator Tom Duane – who worked with then Senate Minority Leader-Paterson to include gender expression protections in the original Sexual Orientation Non-Discrimination Act (SONDA) in 2002 – promising that he and his allies in the Senate would not relent in their push to pass the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA), a marriage equality bill, and the Dignity for All Students Act “until equal protection under the law is a reality for all New Yorkers.”
GLAAD will continue to provide updates on media coverage of any further progress in protecting all employees from workplace discrimination.
Related Posts:New York’s Governor Set to Extend Employment Protections to Transgender New York State Employees
December 15, 2009
This morning The New York Times reported that Governor David A. Paterson plans to sign an executive order protecting transgender public employees from discrimination in New York State.
On Wednesday December 16, the governor will appear at a ceremony at the New York LGBT Community Center at 10:30am to celebrate New York becoming the seventh state to protect public employees from discrimination on the basis of gender identity or expression. Go here to view details of tomorrow’s event.
While the order will stand as one of the broadest extensions of protection for transgender New Yorkers, it represents only a first step toward full workplace equality.
According to Dru Levasseur, Transgender Rights Attorney with Lambda Legal, Gov. Paterson’s order “will bring New York up to par with other states that are taking the lead on workplace fairness.”
The executive order will apply only to state employees working under the executive branch and not to those in the private sector. LGBT rights advocates have been working to pass the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act in the New York legislature since 2003, which would prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity or expression in any workplace, as well as in housing and public accommodations. GENDA passed the New York Assembly last April but has yet to reach a vote in the Senate.
The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) has stalled at the federal level, leaving transgender people in the 38 states without state protections vulnerable to harassment and adverse job consequences.
We applaud Governor Paterson’s decision to create change within his executive branch and urge the media to closely follow this issue in other states and at the federal level and report on the necessity to extend these vital protections to transgender employees around the country.
Related Posts:Cynthia Nixon Announces Engagement to Christine Marinoni
May 18, 2009
At the Love, Peace and Marriage Equality rally yesterday in New York City, Sex and the City star Cynthia Nixon announced her engagement to girlfriend Christine Marinoni. GLAAD is thrilled for the happy couple and wishes them the best!
Congratulations Cynthia and Christine!
Via E! Online:
The couple have been together since late 2003, shortly after Nixon split from her longtime companion,Danny Mozes. The exes share custody of their two children, Samantha, 12, and Charles, 6.
Nixon revealed the news to an audience during the Love, Peace and Marriage Equality rally in New York City. The actress and Marinoni became engaged last month and are currently working to support a new bill for same-sex unions proposed by New York Gov. David Paterson.
The rally was organized by Broadway Impact and Gavin Creel, the out Tony-nominated star of Hair, and featured appearances by David Hyde Pierce and Cheyenne Jackson, among others.
