I am writing to make sure you know about the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA), a bill to protect all New Yorkers from discrimination on the basis of gender identity or expression in areas like employment, housing and public accommodations. I encourage you to support this important legislation, become a co-sponsor of it, advocate with your colleagues to do the same, and approach the Senate leadership in your chamber to bring this important issue to a vote.

As you know, New York State's Human Rights Law already prohibits discrimination against classes of citizens who face widespread social hostility and unequal treatment. Sadly, people who present their gender in a way that differs from what is traditionally associated with their birth sex are not explicitly protected by statute.

This needs to be remedied. There are too many documented cases where individuals and their families have faced discrimination. There are many examples of people being fired from their jobs after enduring workplace harassment and being passed over for promotions, harassed or evicted by a landlord, steered away from "nicer" areas when shopping for a home, denied rooms in a hotel, refused service in a restaurant, given inadequate medical care, and generally treated as second-class citizens because of their gender identity and expression.

I urge you as my elected representative to support this important legislation so that all New Yorkers can be guaranteed protection from discrimination and treated equally. I will be watching throughout the rest of the year to see how you vote and advocate on this issue that means so much to me and our community.

Sincerely,

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