Gov. Kathy Hochul is joined by Queens and city legislators as she signed two bills aimed at protecting trans New Yorkers into law (Don Pollard – Office of Governor Kathy Hochul)
Nov. 18, 2021 By Allie Griffin
Governor Kathy Hochul signed two bills sponsored by Queens legislators Tuesday that aim to protect LGBTQ+ New Yorkers.
Hochul signed the bills into law during transgender awareness week.
The first bill, sponsored by Sen. Jessica Ramos and known as the START Act, strengthens protections for victims of sex and labor trafficking — many of whom are trans.
It builds upon a 2010 state law that allowed such victims to vacate prostitution-related convictions tied to their victimization. The START Act expands the types of criminal convictions — beyond prostitution and related charges — that may be vacated when the defendant is or was a trafficking victim.
For example, trafficking victims often are convicted of possessing false documents often at the direction of their trafficker who confiscates their real documents. The new law will allow courts to vacate such a conviction.
The START Act also ensures that court hearings to vacate such offenses are confidential.
“The START Act gives survivors of trafficking the fresh start they deserve — lessening the barriers to employment, improving access to appropriate immigration legal remedies, and helping break cycles of trauma for thousands of survivors across our state,” Ramos said in a statement.
Queens Council Member-elect Tiffany Cabán, who is queer, applauded the bill’s signage.
“Decriminalization is an LGBT issue that moves us towards humanizing all survivors of oppressive systems,” Cabán said in a statement. “As an incoming queer Councilmember of color, it’s an honor to stand with advocates today as we move closer towards that purpose.”
The second bill Hochul signed was sponsored by Assembly Member Jessica González-Rojas. It gives New Yorkers the right to be addressed by their preferred name and pronoun by certain utility companies.
The legislation requires utility corporations, municipalities, water-works corporations, and telephone service providers to give customers an option to provide their preferred names and pronouns for all written and oral communications.
The legislation is expected to affect more than 78,000 transgender and gender non-conforming residents across the state.
“At a time when we are witnessing a record number of murders of trans people, particularly trans women, and of anti-LGBT pieces of legislation being introduced and passed in other states across the nation, New York must take leadership and stand against hate,” González-Rojas said. “I’m proud to have sponsored legislation, which will ensure that transgender people are respected by utility corporations as they do business in our state.”
Hochul said she hopes New York can be a beacon for the LGBTQ+ community through the new laws and beyond.
“As we witness attacks on LGBTQ+ rights and protections around the country, New York is once again declaring that we are a state for all – one where we don’t needlessly criminalize victims and where our trans, gender non-binary, and gender non-conforming communities are affirmed,” Hochul said. “Together we will continue to build a state that is welcoming to all.”
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16 Comments
Aren’t there laws on the books already against discrimination? Is this an added layer of more ammunition to be used against a business or individual because he used the wrong pronoun and frivolous lawsuits?
Iced out Audemars (Audemars)
Got like forty more (forty more)
Walked in with forty thousand (forty thousand)
I’m up in all the stores (all the stores)
Bad from Baltimore (Baltimore)
And she love Dior (Dior)
She throw a hunnid clip (clip)
When it rains it pours (rains it pours)
W??
the past is passing into the history books? tells you a story about what aim legislation is trying to manage, trying to expand. hot-button issue.
As a trans Latina women, these means a lot to me thank you. But the biggest discrimination and harassment I have experienced in NYC have been from cis POC.
Nothing hurts more than feeling like you’re in the wrong body, it’s like you’re wearing a costume for Halloween except you can’t take it off
Let us not allow for hate to reside in our hearts and in our communities. May Transgender day of remembrance be a call to action for Love and respect of all humans dignity and inherit right TO BE, who we are free of violence.
Powerful and important. OUR LIVES MATTER – WE ARE NOT DISPOSABLE. OUR TIME IS NOW.
Trans rights are human rights. Let’s mourn our fallen Trans siblings, and strive for a world where no one has to live in fear of being murdered for living as their authentic selves.
No one should be harmed or abused, regardless of who they are. Unfortunately We the People are being broken down into too many different subgroups. This is a clever way for the machine to keep us divided, and to stop us from looking at one another, simply as Americans.
Bingo!
It’s working.
Black Trans Lives Matter!!
Thank you for posting this article.
We in Sunnyside support and love our trans community!! They bring us love, light and strength, We honor those who have past.
Grand opening of Justice!!