Fact Sheet: Why GENDA Matters (2012)

For some New Yorkers, the most simple and fundamental parts of their identity – their clothing, their speech, even their names – expose them to hostility and exclusion. People who do not conform to gender-based stereotypes, or whose gender presentation or identity differs from the one usually associated with their anatomical sex, often experience persistent discrimination and harassment. They face challenges earning a living, finding housing, and enjoying the simple pleasures and necessities of life. Everyday activities like eating out, shopping or going to the movies carry the risk of mistreatment, refusal of service – or worse. What Genda Will Do No statewide law explicitly prohibits discrimination against transgender people or people whose appearance does not conform to gender stereotypes. This means that people who are fired from their jobs, denied housing, and services and mistreated in the workplace, in stores and in restaurants merely because of their appearance or gender identity do not have clear legal protection. The Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA) would fix this problem by adding gender identity and expression to the categories already included in New York State’s anti-discrimination laws, such as sex, race, sexual orientation and disability.