We asked New Yorkers to finish the sentence, I can get married, but I still can't...
And here's how some of them responded:
... be protected from discrimination on the basis of gender identity/expression
... stop my parents from forcing me into "conversion therapy"
... walk down the street in my own neighborhood without being afraid
... gain legal custody of my own child without an invasive and expensive adoption process
... rely on the government I elected to represent me
Watch as we ask New Yorkers to finish the sentence, I can get married, but I still can't...
These are just a handful of the many inequities that we still face as LGBT New Yorkers. Much work remains before we can secure our full rights. The Pride Agenda has been central to every legislative victory our community has won over the past two decades. The recent elections confirm that we must continue to work with our allies on both sides of the aisle to rally support for the issues that mean a great deal to us.
The Pride Agenda's top legislative priority is the long overdue passage of the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA). 78% of New Yorkers support the passage of this bill, which would outlaw discrimination in New York State based on gender identity or expression. The New York State Assembly passed GENDA seven times, but the Senate failed to bring the bill to the floor for a vote in 2014. In addition, the Pride Agenda is advocating for the passage of a bill that would protect LGBT youth from conversion efforts, which passed in the Assembly for the first time and with significant bipartisan support in 2014; and for increased family protections including overturning the ban on surrogacy and strengthening second parent adoption law and access to legal guardianship with the Child-Parent Security Act.
During this critical time as we gear up for 2015, we ask for your support to protect and promote our safety, visibility, equality and justice for our generation and for generations to come.
Tell us what you're still fighting for using the hashtag #NotDoneYetNY and learn more about our work at prideagenda.org/NotDoneYetNY.