Dear Senator Hoylman,

We are students attending Fordham University’s Graduate School of Social Services. We are greatly concerned about the unfair treatment transgender and gender non-conforming people are exposed to. We are asking for your help in passing a bill to protect their rights and their identities. 

In New York state, transgender and gender non-conforming people are forced to suffer a long, exposing process in order to simply change their gender markers on their driver’s license. They are required to prove their gender through letters from doctors and therapists, and then have their identity reported in the newspaper. This population already faces highly elevated incidence rates of violence, harassment, and discrimination. The medical consent requirement does not make the transgender and gender-nonconforming population safer and publicly publishing their gender affirmation makes them targets.

We urge you to sign into action a bill we have put together to remove these unnecessary requirements. This bill will protect the transgender and gender non-conforming population by making a change to their gender on their driver’s license more accessible without questioning their identity.  

You have been a huge supporter and ally to the LGBTQ community in the past and we are asking you to show this community your support once again. Your work and advocacy for the Modern Family Act recently helped NY establish increased protections for LGBTQ youth and young adults. We need your support once more in order to continue the battle for equal rights and protections for this marginalized community.