Governor Andrew M. Cuomo made history by calling for the long overdue passage of transgender rights and the passage of the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA) in his State of the State Address yesterday. In the text of his address, he said, "It is no secret that transgender New Yorkers experience pervasive discrimination in all areas of life. Many have been denied housing and a significant portion of them have become homeless. Further, recent surveys indicate that approximately three-quarters of transgender New Yorkers experience harassment, mistreatment or discrimination in employment, including being fired from jobs or being passed over for hire or promotion due to anti-transgender bias. The Governor believes that New York State Human Rights Law should be amended to protect New Yorkers’ gender identity or expression from discrimination. Doing so reflects the values of New Yorkers — a people who believe that every person should be treated equally and fairly, and empowered with the opportunity to succeed." We’re incredibly pleased that Governor Cuomo delivered on his campaign promise to push for life-saving protections for transgender New Yorkers today with his support for the passage of GENDA, a bill we've been advocating for more than 12 years. Now we must call on the New York State Senate to bring GENDA and the bill to protect LGBT youth from conversion efforts to the floor for a vote! These issues are deeply linked, and we ask you to help spread the word so we can grow support even larger than the 10,000 people who have already voiced their desire for New York State to not only to protect and value our LGBT youth, but also to guarantee them the opportunity to grow up in a state which regards them as equal. Please join us and share this with your friends to add their signatures to our Change.org petition to send a message to Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos and the New York State Legislature to pass both of these lifesaving bills. Each day that the State Legislature fails to act is another day we risk losing transgender New Yorkers who live or work in parts of the state without anti-discrimination laws. http://www.prideagenda.org/sites/default/files/pictures/events/young-professionals/gov_sots.jpg