New York’s legislative session ends on June 2nd. RiseOut is fighting harder than ever to pass one major LGBTQ-affirming bill in this last week—will you take action with us? 

The Gender Identity Respect, Dignity, and Safety Act (GIRDS) is gaining momentum in the state legislature. It is one of the primary items on our legislative agenda, and would help to vastly improve the treatment of trans, gender nonconforming, and nonbinary New Yorkers who are incarcerated.



Thanks for all you do,

​​Trevon Mayers
Senior Director of Advocacy & Community Engagement

Recapping Advocacy Day - April 26

“Even though I attended the event virtually, I felt so privileged to be a part of this day of advocacy. The knowledge passed down from our trans elders is so powerful.” - Luna Urena, RiseOut Action Team member

More than 250 people showed up in Albany or online for Equality New York’s Advocacy Day, including many members of our RiseOut Action Team like Luna! We are proud to have been there with so many of you for coalition-building, education, and conversations with state lawmakers as we work together to advance GIRDS and other important laws that would affirm and protect LGBTQ+ New Yorkers.

It’s time to double-check your voter registration status, because there will be two primary elections in New York State this summer:

• June 28 - primaries for governor, lieutenant governor, state Assembly, and U.S. Senate
• August 23 - primaries for Congress and state Senate

The recently leaked decision from SCOTUS encroaches on the bodily autonomy of anyone who can become pregnant, and is cause for concern about the future of LGBTQ+ people’s constitutional rights. As our Senior Director of Advocacy & Community Engagement Trevon Mayers said in an interview with the AFP, "Systems of power, including our courts and elected officials, need to focus on ensuring all people have access to the health care that they need, rather than the opposite.”

Follow Planned Parenthood Empire State Acts to keep track of local calls to action.

New York State’s 2022 legislative session concludes in just over a week. Your gift to The Center, no matter what size, will help our final push to lawmakers to get LGBTQ-affirming bills like GIRDS over the finish line. Please consider a contribution toward our advocacy efforts today.