New York Association for Gender Rights Advocacy
24 West 25th Street, 9th floor
New York, NY 10010
e-mail
(212) 675-3288 ext. 266
fax: (212) 675-3466

NYAGRA's mission is to advocate for freedom of gender identity and expression for all.

The official NYAGRA website

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Mayor Signs Transgender
Rights Bill Into Law

photo: Kueer Kultur Review

Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Councilmember Bill Perkins (D-Harlem) and Pauline Park at the bill signing ceremony at City Hall (4.30.2002) at which the mayor signed Int. No. 24 into law. Councilmember Perkins was the lead sponsor of the transgender rights bill, which amended the New York City human rights ordinance to include gender identity and expression in the definition of gender, thereby securing the full inclusion of transsexual, transgendered, and gender-variant people in City human rights law.

NYAGRA was founded to advocate for freedom of gender identity and expression for all. Our founding meeting took place on 30 June 1998, and our concern was to secure the full inclusion of all transsexual, transgendered, and gender variant people in discrimination and hate crimes law at the state and local level in New York. We first approached the Empire State Pride Agenda in November 1998, and from those discussions, a campaign for a local transgender rights bill was conceived. NYAGRA convened the first meeting of the legislative work group in October 1999, which included representatives from NYAGRA and the Pride Agenda as well as the six original primary sponsors of the bill (Int. No. 754, later re-introduced as Int. No. 24) -- Councilmembers Bill Perkins, Margarita Lopez, Christine Quinn, Ronnie Eldridge, Phillip Reed, and Steve DiBrienza. The legislative work group, coordinated by Pauline Park, led the successful campaign for passage of the bill, NYAGRA's greatest legislative success to date.

1st NYAGRA press conference at City Hall

photo: LGNY

Pauline Park speaks at a press conference (2.29.2000)on the steps of City Hall organized to announce the filing of a formal request for legislation -- the transgender rights bill that would be introduced as Int. No. 754 (and later reintroduced as Int. No. 24). From left to right (front row): Councilmember Margarita Lopez, Councilmember Phillip Reed, Juan Figueroa (executive director of the Puerto Rican Legal Defense & Education Fund), Pauline Park, Councilmember Ronnie Eldridge, Councilmember Bill Perkins. Behind Pauline Park is Councilmember Gifford Miller, who after being elected Speaker in January 2002 pushed the bill forward to a second public hearing (4.23.2002) and to final passage in the full Council (4.24.2002).

New York Association for Gender Rights Advocacy 24 West 25th Street, 9th floor New York, NY 10010 e-mail (212) 675-3288 ext. 266 fax: (212) 675-3466

New York Association for Gender Rights Advocacy
24 West 25th Street, 9th floor
New York, NY 10010
e-mail
(212) 675-3288 ext. 266
fax: (212) 675-3466