Yesterday the New York State Assembly Higher Education Committee, under the esteemed leadership of Assembly Member Deborah J. Glick, passed the bill to protect LGBT youth from conversion efforts with strong bipartisan support. The bill moves one step closer to passing the NYS Assembly and on to the New York State Senate where State Senator Brad Hoylman is working with the Pride Agenda to build support. In just the past week, legislation to end the harmful practice of trying to change a young person’s sexual orientation or gender identity or expression made significant progress in the state legislatures of Iowa, Illinois and Iowa. The news comes on the heels of Washington D.C.’s mayor signing into law the district’s measure to prohibit conversion efforts on LGBT youth in its jurisdiction just two days ago. What’s more, Toronto’s Centre for Addiction and Mental Health – a long-time proponent and practitioner of conversion therapy - has stopped accepting patients into its “Gender Identity Services” clinic for youth because the entire program is under review. The doctor in charge of the program, Kenneth Zucker, is internationally famous for his championing of conversion therapy for transgender children. For the past several decades, Kenneth Zucker was the go-to expert the media would call upon to testify that trans kids can and should be changed. Momentum is on our side to end the damaging and discredited practice of conversion efforts on our youth and to pass the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA), which would protect transgender children and adults alike from discrimination in their homes, at their jobs and in accessing basic services. The New York State Legislature needs to hear from us. Our elected officials need to hear that we will not accept ONE MORE DAY when it’s legal for state-licensed therapists to inflict life-long psychological harm upon our youth. Help us tell our legislators that we will not stand for ONE MORE DAY when transgender or gender non-conforming New Yorkers fear being denied homes, jobs, medical care, education or credit because state law does not extend protections from discrimination on the basis of gender identity or expression. Please share this with your friends and colleagues to add to the thousands of voices that have already called for change, and let’s create a more equal New York together!