Finally the End to Gender Identity Discrimination in New York?

Remember a few months back when the New York Senate voted against legalizing same-sex marriage in the state? That totally sucked.

The Senate now may have a chance to redeem itself (a little) by approving the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA), which would provide much needed protection for the transgender community.

The New York State Assembly passed GENDA for the third time Tuesday morning. Assembly Member Richard N. Gottfried, a sponsor of the bill, called the passage "an important and overdue protection of human rights." Although a handful of localities in the state have already enacted gender identity non-discrimination laws, statewide protection would mean eliminating the fear of losing a job, a home, or just being generally treated like crap in communities throughout New York. (Gov. Patterson signed a similar law in December 2009 protecting state employees from gender identity discrimination.) As we all learned, though, the New York Senate doesn't exactly jump at the chance to extend equal rights to all.

All the more worrisome for GENDA, other than the fact that it's been summarily ignored by the Senate since 2002, is the fact that it currently sits with the Investigations and Government Operations Committee of the New York State Senate, where it awaits critical review before heading to the Senate floor for a vote. Of the eight members of this standing committee, three voted for same-sex marriage recognition (thank you Senators Johnson, Espada Jr., and Klein). That leaves five members with what would likely be considered hostile voting records on LGBT issues.

Let's take Senator Ruben Diaz as a prime example. Some of you may remember Sen. Diaz's lengthy argument railing against same-sex marriage during the debate, listing every religion and every state that rejects the legitimacy of homosexual unions.  Sen. Diaz has an impressive history fighting against the homosexual agenda, the most ironic piece of which may be when he sued Harvey Milk School here in NYC for discriminating against heterosexuals by creating a safe, positive learning environment specifically for LGBT youth. Sen. Diaz also has an issue with the Gay Games, which he believes will lead to the spread of AIDS and acceptance of homosexuality by the nation's youth. I don't want to make any assumptions about where Diaz and his peers stand on the issue of gender identity rights, but I think it's fair to say that when you don't like the LGB, you likely aren't thrilled about the T, either.

Sen. Diaz, along with his seven compatriots, will issue a report regarding the merits of GENDA to the entire Senate before a vote occurs.

The Empire State Pride Agenda will be holding a statewide call-in next week (the date is to be determined, you can sign up here for updates). In the meantime, send them a note to show your support.

Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons