Just before the Pride Parade over the weekend, Public Advocate, Jumaane Williams took a moment to “wish you all a Happy Pride Month, whether you’re celebrating as a member of the LGBTQ & TGNC community or as a proud ally like me.”
“Pride Month is a time to celebrate the many accomplishments and strides made by the LGBTQ & TGNC community and recognize how far we have to go,” said Williams, the son of Grenadian immigrants, in a message to constituents.
“We celebrate the passing of the Gender Recognition Act, the Walking While Trans law repeal, and NYC enacting an LGBTQ & TGNC history curriculum in our schools. However, we also need to acknowledge the disparities and injustices that still exist,” he added.
He noted that Black trans women are being murdered at “an alarming rate.”
He also said that state legislatures have passed discriminatory laws targeting trans youth, that the US Supreme Court unanimously ruled in favor of an organization that banned same-sex adoptions, and that members of the LGBTQ & TGNC community, especially young people, experience homelessness at a higher rate.
“It is a reminder that our LGBTQ & TGNC friends and family are still facing many barriers,” Williams said. “We all need to fight for their rights.
“Although we have come so far, equality is still a long road ahead,” he added. “Today, as we celebrate our LGBTQ & TGNC friends and family, let us remember that pride is more than just a parade and commercial gimmicks from corporations.
“Let’s keep celebrating accomplishments, lifting up LGBTQ and TGNC voices, and fighting for equality,” the public advocate continued.
State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli also honored New York’s LGBTQ+ Community, stating that June is Pride Month, “when millions of Americans come together to honor and celebrate the LGBTQ+ community.”
He said, 52 years ago, the movement began with the Stonewall uprising in New York City, “as LGBTQ+ protestors rose up to fight police mistreatment and to gain equality within society.
“In the years since, there have been losses and victories in the road to equality,” DiNapoli said. “We have more work to do, especially for transgender people of color, who often still face hostility and discrimination.”
He said he has worked hard to make the Office of the State Comptroller one of “fairness and inclusion, and will continue to use its power to ensure that all New Yorkers are treated with dignity and respect.”
