The NYC Anti-Violence Project strongly condemns any attempts by NYS Republican legislators to mimic the violent anti-trans legislation that is currently sweeping the nation here in New York, including the most recent bills S6259 and A6124, introduced by Sen. George Borrello and Rep. Andy Goodell.
The New York we know aims to protect its LGBTQ community members, and this type of legislation has no place anywhere, especially here.
This unnecessary and unoriginal bill, which is fueled by misinformation and anti-trans sentiment and backed by right-wing political agenda, typically paves the way for other bills that aim to limit or restrict the freedoms or rights of LGBTQ people, and specifically our TGNCNB siblings. The reality is that trans athletes have a right to play, their participation in sports at any level does not undermine anyone’s ability to play, and these restrictions in sports that use gender assigned at birth as a delimiter for participation are transphobic, harmful and lack scientific backing.
We must stop this hate before it starts, and we all must stand up and say no to the state-sponsored violence these representatives are attempting to inflict, just like we would any other type of violence against LGBTQ communities. Though we don’t anticipate this bill advancing, the fact that it was introduced shows how hate is progressing nationwide and here in our state. This is one of many calls to action for our communities and those who support us to speak out against the hate we are facing on all . It’s beyond time to join AVP in mobilizing. Connect with AVP and join our volunteer network to find out how you can be involved, signup for AVP Hotline training or learn how to be an upstander in our next training session on April 26th!