Assembly Resolution No. 1047

BY: M. of A. Rules (Glick)

MEMORIALIZING Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim June 2022, as Gay Pride Month in the State of New York

WHEREAS, Members of this Legislative Body support the rights, freedoms, and equality of those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual/agender (LGBTQIA+); and

WHEREAS, Those who took a stand for human rights and dignity at the Stonewall Inn in New York City on June 28, 1969, are among the pioneers within this movement and this year marks the 53rd Anniversary of the Stonewall Riots; and

WHEREAS, The Stonewall protestors were subject to police harassment and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity and expression; and

WHEREAS, The Stonewall uprising and the LGBTQIA+ movement included the contributions of transgender and gender non-conforming Americans like Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, who brought attention to the continued struggle for the rights of this community; and

WHEREAS, Various decisive moments in history were followed by the creation of gay rights organizations in every major city in the United States within two years of the Stonewall uprising; and

WHEREAS, The Stonewall uprising has been followed by many positive progressive historic moments; and

WHEREAS, One year after the Stonewall uprising on June 28, 1970, the first gay pride marches took place in New York City, Los Angeles, and San Francisco; and

WHEREAS, Each year, since the Stonewall uprising, the end of June has been celebrated as gay pride with pride marches and other events being held throughout New York State, and throughout the world; and

WHEREAS, A Marriage Equality Bill first passed the New York State Assembly in 2007; and

WHEREAS, The Marriage Equality Act passed both houses and was signed into law in New York State on June 24, 2011, making the state the sixth in the nation to do so; and

WHEREAS, The year 2012 marked the first year all 50 states in the United States had at least one openly LGBTQIA+ elected official; and

WHEREAS, On June 26, 2013, New York State resident Edith Windsor, represented by Roberta Kaplan, won her case against the United States; the Supreme Court ruled that section three of the Defense of Marriage Act was unconstitutional and the Federal Government cannot discriminate against married lesbian and gay couples for the purposes of determining Federal benefits and protections; and

WHEREAS, On June 26, 2015, the Supreme Court ruled that states cannot ban same-sex marriage; and

WHEREAS, On June 24, 2016, then President Barack Obama announced the designation of the first national monument to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) rights; the Stonewall National Monument encompasses Christopher Park, the Stonewall Inn and the surrounding streets and sidewalks that were the sites of the 1969 Stonewall uprising; and

WHEREAS, On June 15, 2020, the United States Supreme Court affirmed that the 1964 Civil Rights Act protects LGBTQIA+ Americans from discrimination in the workplace after Gerald Bostock, the late Aimee Stephens, and the late Donald Zarda, also a New Yorker, brought suit against their former employers when they were fired for identifying as either gay or transgender only after their employer was made aware of their gender or sexual identity despite positive job performance; and

WHEREAS, On January 25, 2021, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. signed the Executive Order Enabling All Qualified Americans to Serve Their Country in Uniform, which allows transgender Americans to openly serve in the military; and

WHEREAS, On February 2, 2021, the United States Senate confirmed Pete Buttigieg with 86 votes in favor as Secretary of Transportation, and he is the first openly gay member of a Presidential Administration's Cabinet and is currently serving as the highest-ranking LGBTQIA+ American in the Presidential line of succession; and

WHEREAS, LGBTQIA+ people across this country should remain vigilant as the United States Supreme Court is poised to overturn Roe v. Wade, thus showing a desire to further regulate bodily autonomy, ignore court precedent, and potentially criminalize the actions of consenting adults in their personal relationships; and

WHEREAS, The month of June reminds us of all the achievements of the past and highlights the work that remains to be done; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to memorialize Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim June 2022, as Gay Pride Month in the State of New York; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be transmitted to The Honorable Kathy Hochul, Governor of the State of New York.