GENDA passes the Assembly

I was pessimistic about the chances of the New York State Assembly passing the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act this year. I thought Speaker Silver's previous objection, that it would be a one-house bill that could be used against Democrats in marginal districts, would continue. But I guess he changed his mind. It passed by a vote of 102-33 late this afternoon.

Perhaps it was the fact that the Pride Agenda's Equality and Justice Day attracted 25% more people this year than it did in 2007. That was before the Assembly had passed the Marriage Equality bill. But the even higher turnout (1300 people) demonstrated that the LGBT community was just as serious about GENDA, the only one of the three bills the Pride Agenda was pushing that hadn't passed.

Now GENDA will go before the State Senate, where, like Marriage Equality, it will go absolutely nowhere, since it doesn't have a Republican sponsor. Hopefully the Democrats will take control of the Senate in November (they only need to pick up two seats). Then, GENDA has a chance of becoming law next year, and my work on the GENDA Coalition will truly be rewarded.