What it means for you
Since February 2019, New York's Human Rights Law has barred bias based on gender identity or expression at work, in housing, public places, schools, and credit. Since November 2019, specified crimes motivated by that trait can be prosecuted as hate crimes.
Who benefits: Transgender and gender-nonconforming New Yorkers, plus anyone treated unfairly because of their actual or perceived gender identity or expression, at work, in housing, in school, or in public.
New York’s Human Rights Law now names gender identity or expression as a protected trait. That means an employer, landlord, real estate broker, school, lender, or business open to the public can’t treat you worse because you’re transgender, or because of how you look, act, or dress compared with what people expect of your sex at birth. The law also covers apprenticeship programs, unions, job agencies, and harassment of domestic workers by the people who employ them.
You don’t have to sign up for anything. If you face this kind of bias, you can file a complaint with the state Division of Human Rights or go to court. The law also made specified crimes committed in whole or substantial part because of someone’s gender identity or expression count as hate crimes. That part took effect on November 1, 2019; the rest began on February 24, 2019.
The fight took years. Assembly Member Richard Gottfried got the bill through the Assembly 11 times, but for years the Senate’s Republican leadership refused it a floor vote. After Democrats won control of the Senate, Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal brought it to the floor in the first week of the 2019 session. Three Republicans joined 39 Democrats to pass it 42–19 on January 15. The Assembly passed it the same day. Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed it on January 25, 2019.
RightsWork and wagesHousing
Where it stands, and how we know
Source for this status, checked November 12, 2026.
Sources
- S1047, Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (2019-2020 session)New York State Senate
- Assembly passes GENDA and ban on conversion therapyNew York State Assembly, January 15, 2019
- GENDA and conversion therapy ban signed into lawOffice of Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal, January 25, 2019
- Complaint, Berkemeier v. Genesee Country Museum, No. 6:25-cv-06003U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York, January 2, 2025
- Employer Alert: GENDA in the WorkplaceAbrams Fensterman LLP, September 8, 2026
How we checked this
Drafted by Claude Opus 5.5 (Anthropic) on November 11, 2026. Checked against its sources by GPT-5.6-sol (OpenAI) on November 12, 2026, which corrected it. Confirmed the law’s scope, enactment dates, sponsors, official 42–19 roll call, and continued enforcement. Updated the status for an active federal challenge and narrowed several claims to match the statutory text.
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