GayCityNews.com – By: Donna M. Cartwright
After reading the recent Letter to the Editor from Alan Van Capelle, executive director of the Empire State Pride Agenda (“Enough GENDA Frustration to Go Around,” June 28-July 4), I have no doubt that the group is sincere in its support of the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA). Nevertheless, I believe that the persistent failure of GENDA to advance in the State Assembly, even as a marriage equality bill with fewer co-sponsors succeeded in winning passage last month, raises some questions that have to be seriously addressed.
First, Van Capelle says that SONDA – the sexual orientation-only civil rights bill enacted in 2002 despite the transgender community’s insistent demands that we also be included – and the state hate crimes bill, passed in 2000, “both had the support of more than 70 percent of New Yorkers” when they were passed, while “GENDA and marriage equality do not.”
What are the poll numbers on GENDA and the marriage bill? National polling indicates that trans anti-discrimination protections have considerably more support – by about 10 points – than marriage equality.