New York Albany County Passes Trans-Bill

On Monday the Albany County legislature passed an anti-discrimination law that protects trans-people.

Crucial human rights law passed in Albany County
Albany Timesunion
Monday, June 10, 2013
By Renate Hartman

The Albany County Legislature unanimously passed an anti-discrimination law that protects transgender people on June 10, 2013. Yes, all the Democrats and Republicans.

Meanwhile, the state Senate is split right down party lines over GENDA (Gender Equality Non-Discrimination Act).

The article goes on to say,

The legislators were attentive and polite, but more importantly, respectful to all of us. As time passed, more and more legislators came up to us before and after the public forum expressing support for this anti-discrimination legislation.  The minority leader, Christine M. Benedict, advocated for the bill with her caucus.

The unanimous support shows that transgender anti-discrimination legislation is not a partisan issue – it is a Civil Rights/Human Rights issue.

For the last six years GENDA has died in the Senate, the Republican controlled Senate has refused to even bring the bill up for a vote and it looks like it is going meet the same fate again this year because the session ends this month..

The Buffalo News said in an editorial that,

 It’s been a decade since GENDA was first introduced. Then-Sen. Thomas Duane attempted to amend the Sexual Orientation Non-Discrimination Act to include the transgender community. His measure failed to win approval, and GENDA was created to correct that error. Yet, it still awaits legislative approval.

I hope that this year will be the year that our neighbors will achieve equality.