Memorializing Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim June 2026, as LGBTQIA+ Pride Month in the State of New York

Senate Resolution No. 2164

BY: Senator BRISPORT

        MEMORIALIZING  Governor  Kathy  Hochul to proclaim
        June 2026, as LGBTQIA+ 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 57th 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 LGBTQIA+ 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 marches for LGBTQIA+ equality took place in  New  York  City,  Los
Angeles, and San Francisco; and

  WHEREAS,  Each  year,  since the Stonewall uprising, Pride Month has
been celebrated with 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, before finally passing both houses  and  being  signed
into  law  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 same-sex 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, the designation of the first national
monument to lesbian,  gay,  bisexual,  transgender,  and  queer  (LGBTQ)
rights  was  designated;  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,  LGBTQIA+ people across this country should remain vigilant
as a wave of anti-trans  legislation  has  spread  across  the  country,
demonizing and taking rights from our transgender community; and

  WHEREAS, On June 25th, 2023, Trans Safe Haven legislation was signed
into  law,  officially designating New York State a safe haven for trans
youth, their families and their health  care  providers,  ensuring  that
families  from  around  the nation can come to New York for legal gender
affirming care with protections against  legal  repercussions  from  the
regressive laws in their home states; 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  2026,  as  LGBTQIA+
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.