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THE WEEK OF DECEMBER 27, 2002
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Law For Gays, Lesbians
Transgender Community Wants Protection
by Rob MacKay
It is now illegal to discriminate against gays and lesbians for housing, employment and public accommodations in New York State.
After 31 years in limbo without enough support within the State Legislature, the Sexual Orientation Nondiscrimination Act was passed and signed into law last week.
The news was met with triumph among gay leaders in Queens, the county which has the state’s second-largest gay/ lesbian/transgender population.
“This is a proud moment for our community. We’re heading toward ‘equality and justice for all,’” said Elmhurst resident Jimmy Van Bramer, who in 2001 became the first openly gay candidate for a Queens City Council seat. “When the government makes a statement that discrimination is wrong, over time it filters down to the rest of society.”
Van Bramer said that he has encountered problems and baseless rejections when apartment-hunting with his long-time partner. He also reported that a few of his well-qualified gay friends have been denied jobs and/or harassed in the workplace.
“People should do the right thing,” he said. “And now they have to do the right thing.”
But there was a bittersweet feeling for many local sexual- and gender-identity activists, because the State Legislature rejected the bill’s amendment to give the same legal protections to transgender people (Read: Those who have had sex-change operations).
“We’re excited about the law, and this is a great moment in our civil rights, but we have concerns about this not being totally inclusive,” said Elmhurst’s Phil Velez, president of the Guillermo Vásquez Independent Democratic Club of Queens. “I know so many stories of transgenders being injured or murdered. And I’ve watched them get heckled, screamed at and insulted right in front of my eyes.”
Jackson Heights resident Pauline Park, who co-chairs the New York Association for Gender Rights Advocacy, said that a law protecting transgenders is desperately needed in New York State, especially outside the Big Apple.
“Discrimination is quite pervasive, and having laws on the books makes a big difference,” she said. “We are committed to getting this passed as soon as possible. Justice delayed is justice denied.”
Openly gay Ridgewood resident Charles Ober added: “Transgenders face the most discrimination...In order to fully gain legal recognition, you have to codify human rights.”