NEW YORK DESIGNATED SAFE HAVEN STATE FOR TRANS YOUTH AND THEIR FAMILIES

On Sunday, June 25th, before the NYC Pride March, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed the “Trans Safe Haven” billofficially making New York state a designated safe haven for trans youth, their families and their health care providers. The bill was introduced and sponsored by NYS Senator Brad Hoylman-Siegal and co-sponsored by Assemblyman Harry Bronson.

Hetrick Martin Institute (HMI) is grateful for the incredible leadership of Senator Hoylman-Siegal, Assemblyman Bronson and Governor Hochul in protecting transgender youth and their families and ensuring that NYS continues to be a beacon of hope for the LGBTQIA+ community.

The Trans Safe Haven bill:

• ensures that transgender youth are not separated from parents who help them seek gender-affirming care;
• prohibits local authorities from assisting other states in their investigation of families seeking legal gender-affirming care; and
• protects both the health information of trans individuals who come to New York for this type of care and the medical and health care providers who choose to help them.

Governor Hochul told reporters, “There are people outside our borders in other states who do not have the same rights that we do here in New York, and that is wrong. We are calling that out, standing together shoulder to shoulder, saying we are in solidarity with the rest of America.”

With this historic move, New York joins 10 other states and Washington, D.C., which have passed similar “shield” laws protecting transgender youth and their families. Although the signing of this bill was a huge victory for trans youth and their families in New York, there are still many states that are actively targeting and systematically eroding the dignity and rights of trans youth. Nearly 31 percent of transgender youth live in states that have passed bans on gender-affirming care and a little over 13 percent are at risk of losing access to that same care, according to the Human Rights Campaign.

In the wake of the ongoing attacks on trans youth and the LGBTQIA+ community and the enflaming of anti-LGBTQIA+ hatred happening across the country, HMI urges everyone to stay vigilant, mobilize and use their vote to stop the demonization and assaults on trans youth and their families.

For more Information about what Is happening in your state, please check the following resources: