On Tuesday, the New York Legislature passed a historic bill Tuesday making gender identity a protected class in areas of housing, employment, and public accommodation, protecting transgender people from discrimination. The Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act, or GENDA, passed over 16 years of attempts that were unsuccessful until Democrats won the election in 2018.
The bill codifies certain protections that have been in existence since 2016, when Governor Andrew Cuomo signed an executive order directing the New York State Division of Human Rights to adopt regulations protecting transgender individuals from discrimination. The bill also added protections on the basis of gender identity to the state’s hate crimes law.
Notably, the State Legislature also passed a law banning conversion therapy for LGBTQ youth on Tuesday.
With the changes, it is important to update policies and pay practices to stay in compliance. For questions, please contact the Law Offices of Yale Pollack, P.C., located in Syosset, New York and servicing the Metropolitan Area, including Long Island and New York City.