LGBTQ Groups Urge NY Governor Cuomo to Sign Gender Neutral Bathroom Bill

A5240/ S6479 has broad support, awaits the Governor's signatur

Albany - November 12, 2020 - Today, over 100 LGBTQ elected officials, organizations, and community members wrote to Governor Andrew Cuomo to urge him to sign the Gender Neutral Bathroom Bill, A5240 (O'Donnell) / S06479 (Salazar). The bill makes all single stall bathrooms in New York State gender neutral, to ensure that transgender, gender nonconforming, and nonbinary New Yorkers can use public facilities without fear of harassment or discrimination.

This legislation is simple: it says that if a bathroom has one stall, anyone can use it. Critically, the bill applies to all restaurants, bars, public and private schools, and other public facilities across the State to ensure that everyone can access public accommodations wherever they are without fear of discrimination or harassment, no matter their gender or gender identity. Placing restrictions on who can use public restrooms not only violates individuals' basic civil rights, it all too often threatens the privacy and safety of transgender, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming people who are just trying to go about their day.

A5240/ S06479 passed unanimously in the New York State Assembly, with a significant bipartisan majority in the Senate, and has broad support across the LGBTQ community of New York State. In addition, New York City, Philadelphia, Seattle, the State of California, and the State of Illinois have all passed similar legislation