“Particularly alarming, this year alone, nearly 25 transgender women most of them women of color, have been murdered – many of these murders are presumably hate crimes. Undoubtedly, there are many more of these types of incidents everyday that don't rise to the top of our news cycle. The protections that the Governor introduced could not have come soon enough, as they begin to address the structural and systemic violence that transgender New Yorkers experience everyday."

"No one should ever have to face discrimination or harassment, especially in a forward-thinking, progressive state like New York. Yet this is a disturbing reality for far too many New Yorkers, who have been subject to eviction from their homes, job discrimination, harassment and even hate crimes simply because of their gender identity. I heartily applaud the Governor's executive action to help put an end to these injustices, but more needs to be done.

"The laws of New York State currently protect against discrimination based on sex, race, age, creed, color, nationality, disability, predisposing genetic characteristics, domestic violence victim status, military status, marital status and sexual orientation. It is long overdue that these protections be extended to transgender individuals. No one should fear for their livelihood, home or life because of who they are. The Assembly has passed the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA) for years, and moving forward, I will continue to push the Senate to finally pass this legislation to strengthen the governor's executive order and ensure full and equal protection under the law for all New Yorkers (A.4558-A)."