Take Pride in a Great Year!

As the end of the year quickly approaches, we wanted to take a moment to look back on some of our community’s major victories of 2008:

  • Same-sex marriage recognition was solidified in New York State.  By directing state agencies to recognize marriages of same-sex couples that are legally performed out of state as fully valid in New York, Governor Paterson followed the law and made a powerful statement to those who would stand in the way of our equality. Same-sex couples and our families are now even closer to being recognized as equals under the law when it comes to the 1,324 rights and protections that come with a marriage license in New York.
  • GENDA passed in the NYS Assembly. For the first time since the bill’s introduction in 2003, the New York State Assembly voted 108-34 to pass the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act to ban discrimination against transgender people in housing, employment, credit, public accommodations, and other areas of everyday life.  The Pride Agenda worked closely with the GENDA Coalition, Assemblymember Dick Gottfried (GENDA’s prime sponsor in the Assembly), and other Assembly supporters to build momentum for passage.
  • The Family Court access bill became law. The bill, which opens up the state’s Family Courts to domestic partners who seek access to important domestic violence protections, passed in both the State Senate and Assembly and was signed into law 20 years after it was first introduced. As a part of the Pride Agenda’s public policy agenda since our founding in 1990, this bill finally removes New York as one of the last states in the nation that did not allow access to Family Court for same-sex couples.
  • We showed the power of our community on Election Day. The Pride Agenda had two major goals for this year’s elections. The first was to make sure that every Assemblymember who voted for marriage equality legislation in 2007 and the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act was re-elected to their seat – and every single one was. The second goal was to remove enough anti-LGBT Senators from their seats to flip the Majority to one that will work with us on our issues – and with Democrat Joseph Addabbo unseating anti-LGBT incumbent Serphin Maltese in Queens and Democrat Brian Foley unseating anti-LGBT incumbent Caesar Trunzo in Suffolk County, we did.
  • LGBT youth in juvenile justice facilities gained important protections. The New York State Office of Children and Family Services adopted a policy that prohibits discrimination against LGBT and questioning youth in juvenile justice facilities across the state. The Pride Agenda has worked with the New York Juvenile Justice Coalition over the past several years to secure these vital protections.
  • The NYS AFL-CIO passed resolutions in support of pro-LGBT legislation. There are now a total of 2.3 million working New Yorkers who are members of unions that support marriage equality, and 2.1 million who are members of unions that support GENDA and the Dignity for All Students Act. The Pride Agenda has continued to work with the organized labor community as a vocal partner in moving our legislation forward.
  • We moved our issues forward in Albany. More than 1,100 of you turned out in Albany on Equality & Justice Day on April 29 for our annual lobby day to push for the legislation we care about, to thank our legislators who support us and to let those who don’t support us yet know that they have constituents who will hold them accountable. Save the date for Equality & Justice Day 2009: Tuesday, April 28 2009!

You should take pride in these incredible accomplishments here in New York State.  None of this could have happened without your hard work building support for our issues where you live, and your support of the Pride Agenda.

 

Now as we look towards the New Year, we need your support more than ever to help us continue to do the hard work to get the necessary votes in the Senate to pass crucial legislation for LGBT New Yorkers. Please consider making an end of year contribution to support the Pride Agenda’s efforts.

 

Stay tuned as we prepare for what will no doubt be a busy New Year. If you haven’t already, you can keep track of LGBT news in New York by subscribing to “The Agenda” our regularly updated blog. You can also connect with other supporters and activists by joining us on our Facebook page.

 

Together we can build on the amazing work of this past year and win in 2009!