On Jan. 15, the New York legislature passed two pro-LGBTQ bills—the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA) and a law banning so-called “conversion therapy”—and pro-LGBT groups were quick to respond.
Lambda Legal expresses great appreciation to the New York Legislature for prioritizing passage of GENDA in its first week in session,” said Ethan Rice, senior attorney of the organizations’ Fair Courts Project. In addition, Currey Cook, Counsel and Youth in Out-of-Home Care Project Director said of the conversion-therapy statute, “No child should be subjected to these dangerous efforts to try to change who they are, especially when those methods cause lifelong trauma and have been condemned by every mainstream psychological, social science and child welfare organization.”
“The National LGBTQ Task Force hopes New York sets a precedent for the passage of comprehensive nondiscrimination laws across the country that include the transgender community in a genuine way,” said Rea Carey, executive director of the National LGBTQ Task Force, in a separate press release. “We applaud New York for taking this long overdue action for all transgender New Yorkers.”
And in yet another statement, Trevor Project CEO/Executive Director Amit Paley said, “The State of New York is sending a clear message today that LGBTQ youth are perfect as they are. No one should face discrimination or the torture of conversion therapy because of who they love or who they are.”