More Albany Sponsors for Transgender Rights

[LostInTime]

Link

The Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA), which would ban discrimination on the basis of gender identity and expression in New York State, was reintroduced into the Legislature this week with a record 53 Assembly sponsors and nine in the Senate. The chief sponsors are Assemblyman Dick Gottfried and Senator Tom Duane, both Chelsea Democrats.

Alan Van Capelle, executive director of the Empire State Pride Agenda, noted that nine states, 86 cities, and 85 Fortune 500 companies ban discrimination on the basis of gender identity and expression. "Clearly, New York is lagging behind," he said in a written release.

[Brooke_NY]

The article says Sexual Orientation Non-Discrimination Act (SONDA) passed in 2002 without the inclusion of gender identity.

The article also states that on Andrew Cuomos website it says, "SONDA applies when a transgender person is discriminated against based upon his or her actual or perceived sexual orientation."

Kind of a strange discrepancy. It appears to me like he assumes that a person won't be discriminated against because of their gender identity under basic human rights laws, and that they only need specific protection from sexual orientation discrimination.

Thanks for the article.