Pride Has a Home Here: LIBOR Attends Governor's Pride, Local Govts Split on LGBTQ Rights

Last Friday, LIBOR Government Affairs Director Kevin Brady represented our association at the Governor's invite-only New York Pride Brunch at the Executive Mansion in Albany. Meeting with LGBTQ+ business, social, and legal leaders from across the state, Kevin highlighted LIBOR members' commitment to fair housing and what successful ventures are taking place in other parts of the Empire State.

Locally, two local governments took very different steps on fair housing and equal access to government during Pride Month:

Newly elected Huntington Town Councilmember Theresa Mari (R) introduced a resolution passed by the Republican-controlled Town Board 5-0 to establish an LGBTQ+ task force. "Each town board member can appoint up to two members to the task force. Their term will coincide with that of the elected official who appoints them," reported Newsday. "Mari said the task force will help facilitate dialogue about inclusion and acceptance and address needs and challenges the LGBTQ+ community faces, from discrimination and harassment in employment to housing and public accommodations, to mental health and wellness. 'It’s a good initiative for the town to make sure everyone feels included,' Mari said." 

Meanwhile after Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman's (R) executive order was struck down by a Republican judge, "a Nassau bill that would ban transgender females from participating in sports at county-owned athletic facilities cleared a key legislative committee Monday, with all Republican lawmakers voting in favor and all Democrats voting against. The vote in the Rules Committee was 4-3 after about an hour of debate that included yelling, finger pointing and personal anecdotes," reported Newsday. "Juli Grey-Owens, executive director of Gender Equality New York, called the bill 'absolutely horrifying.' 'It sends a clear message of hostility and undermines the spirit of equality and acceptance. Nothing says 'we hate your kind' like a law that looks to eliminate hard-fought rights,' Grey-Owens said."