Will This Year Be New York’s Year?

The northeast is slowly becoming a solid block of states that protect gender identity and expression, so far the only northeast states that do not have protection for us are Pennsylvania, New Hampshire and New York. In New York they have been trying to pass protection for ever since we got dumped off of the anti-discrimination bill in 2003 and the closest that they came to passing a law for us was in 2011. But we got pushed aside so that the legislature could pass a marriage equality bill.

Well this year there is progress being made to pass the gender identity and expression anti-discrimination bill. The bill has always passed in the Assembly but stalled in the Senate which the conservatives control. In the Wall Street Journal there was an AP article about the bill. In it they wrote…

"Naturally, we're opposed to it," said state Conservative Party Chairman Michael Long. "They should be protected, as we all are. We are for equal rights for all human beings. There is no need to create special classifications for individuals."

That is one of the same old arguments about “special rights” but if you read the bills (A.4226/Gottfried) (S.195/Squadron) nowhere in it does it say anything about giving rights. All the bills say is that you will not discrimination it doesn't establish any quotas and it doesn't require any special treatment for gender non-conforming individuals. As a matter of fact the bills say nothing about anything trans and in other states and cities the law have been used to protect straight people who do not conform to the gender normal; women or men  who’s manors or look that are not “feminine”/”masculine” enough.

The Wall Street Journal article goes on to state,

"If we get a vote, the chances are very good," said Sen. Daniel Squadron, a Democrat representing parts of Brooklyn and Manhattan who is sponsoring the Senate bill. "People are shocked you can lose your job, or your home or be denied a place in a restaurant because of sexual identity. No one thinks that's what New York should look like."

The measure also has the critical support of the Independent Democratic Conference, five breakaway members who share majority control of the Senate with Republicans. Republicans haven't yet discussed the measure, but aren't dismissing it in this new era in which more Democratic-leaning bills get to the Senate floor even with GOP opposition.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who pushed gay marriage into law, didn't respond to requests for comment.

The question now is will the bill come to a vote in the Senate and will the governor help push the bill like he did the marriage bill.