by Mx. Bridge Rauch (they/them/theirs)
Equality New York is a statewide LGBTQ+ advocacy organization. They recently announced their 2026 legislative platform, selected by five committees: Bodily Autonomy & Reproductive Justice; Disability Justice, Physical & Mental Health; Racial Justice; Transgender, Gender Non-Conforming, Non-Binary,& Intersex Equity; and Youth, Families & Aging Communities.
For Bodily Autonomy & Reproductive Justice, EQNY urges passage of Condoms Not as Evidence Act (Cruz), which provides that possession of a condom or other reproductive or sexual health device may not be received in evidence in any trial, hearing or proceeding as evidence of conduct. The protections proposed in this bill will ensure that sex workers can carry condoms and other reproductive or sexual health devices without fear that those devices will be used as evidence against them, protecting the health of vulnerable New Yorkers.
EQNY is also urging the passage of the Privacy Amendment S8603 (Ramos) / A9377 (Shimsky), which will amend the State Constitution by adding a right to privacy.
For Disability Justice, Physical & Mental Health, EQNY is urging the passage of the Comprehensive Sex Education (CSE) Act S6901A (Salazar) / A7496 (Gonzalez-Rojas), which would require comprehensive sexuality instruction for students in grades K-12 which includes a model curricula for comprehensive sexuality education and at a minimum conforms to the content and scope of national sexuality education standards. As strange as it may sound, New York State still does not have comprehensive sex education requirements which include LGBTQ+ health education.
For Racial Justice, EQNY urges the passage of Holding Police Accountable by Strengthening the Civilian Complaint Review Board S4354 (Bailey) / A126 (Cruz), which would amend the New York city charter, in relation to expanding the investigative scope of the Civilian Complaint Review Board to include allegations of biased-based profiling. While this bill is NYC-specific, it would help shift political winds statewide to support similar changes in other municipalities upstate. EQNY also is backing the New York for All Act S2235 (Gounardes) / A3506 (Reyes), which prohibits and regulates the discovery and disclosure of immigration status by police and state and municipal entities. It should be noted that Governor Hochul has been floating an alternative watered down version – your voice is crucial in pushing WNY legislators to support the full version which immigrant and migrant justice groups have developed over many years of negotiations.
For Transgender, Gender Non-Conforming, Non-Binary, & Intersex Equity, EQNY this year is again urging the passage of the Gender Identity Respect Dignity and Safety (GIRDS) Act S1049A (Salazar) / A5478A (Gallagher), which relates to the treatment and placement of incarcerated people based upon gender identity. The New York State criminal justice system often refuses basic rights to Transgender, Gender-Nonconforming, and Non-binary individuals who are incarcerated, and this bill would ensure that correctional officers and staff address people by their names and pronouns; guarantee access to commissary items, clothing, hygiene articles and other materials that are consistent with their gender identities; and establish a right to be searched by officers of the same gender identity.
Finally, for Youth, Families & Aging Communities, EQNY is urging the passage of the The Freedom to Read Act S1099 (May) / A7777 (Simone) which would prohibit schools and public libraries from banning books based on identity like being LGBTQ+ or their families, as well as the Death Certificate Gender Identity Recognition Act which is currently being written and will be introduced soon, and will provide guidance and update official New York State Bureau of Vital Records forms to help ensure that Transgender, Gender-Nonconforming, and Non-binary people have their gender identity reflected on their death certificates.
You can read more about each of these bills HERE.
Please take a moment to contact your representatives in Albany and voice your support for these bills. You can find information on how to contact your Assemblymember HERE, your State Senator HERE, and Governor Hochul click HERE.