Transgender Equality and Justice

The Facts

Transgender New Yorkers face severe discrimination. A recent report showed that 74% of transgender New Yorkers experienced harassment or mistreatment on the job. A staggering 75% of transgender youth in New York State reported being harassed in school and many leave as a result. 17% of individuals were refused medical care due to their gender identity or expression. A report released by the Empire State Pride Agenda showed that more than one third of transgender New Yorkers have been homeless at one time and over one fifth have incomes under $10,000 a year.

What’s New

The Williams Institute of UCLA has released a study documenting the Cost of Employment and Housing Discrimination against Transgender Residents of New York.
The out-dated and overly severe policy that accompanies gender markers on birth certificates is being closely evaluated. The Pride Agenda is currently working with the state to amend the current gender marker change policy to remove draconian surgical and hormonal requirements, as has happened in many other jurisdictions.
On January 3, 2011, Governor Cuomo continued Governor Patterson’s executive order which bans discrimination based on gender identity and expression within state employment. This executive order currently applies to all state agencies.
Medicaid in New York State currently does not cover transgender health (e.g. cross-gender hormone therapy and sex-reassignment surgery). The Pride Agenda is meeting with several partners in state government to discuss expanding Medicaid coverage to include transgender health.

Our Work

Through our education, organizing and advocacy programs, the Pride Agenda works toward creating a broadly diverse alliance of LGBT people and our allies in government, communities of faith, labor, all sectors of the workforce and other social justice movements to achieve equality and justice for transgender and gender nonconforming New Yorkers.

We have a rigorous campaign to pass the transgender civil rights bill, the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA), which would ban discrimination based on gender identity and expression. Learn more and get involved in our campaign to pass GENDA.