LET’S MAKE SURE THAT ULSTER COUNTY DOES NOT GO THE WAY OF NORTH CAROLINA
We all know of the bigoted and retrogressive law passed in North Carolina requiring that transgender people use public bathrooms consistent with the sex listed on their birth certificate. We have a chance to make sure that this never happens in Ulster County.
This Tuesday, the Ulster County Legislature will vote on a resolution to set a public hearing on a proposed Local Law Prohibiting Discrimination On The Basis Of Gender Identity “to ensure certain protection for people whose gender and self-image does not fully accord with the legal sex assigned at birth.” This most deeply affects our transgender friends, family members, and neighbors, but it also sets the tone for Ulster County as a place of inclusion, tolerance, and safety.
As the proposed law says, “The Ulster County Legislature’s intent on creating this local law is to prohibit discrimination against transgender people and ensure full and equal accommodations, advantages, facilities, services, and privileges to all residents. The Ulster County Legislature further encourages the use of single-sex facilities, such as bathrooms, in a manner that is consistent with an individual’s gender, regardless of sex assigned at birth, anatomy, medical history, appearance, or the sex indicated on one’s identification.”
TAKE ACTION
Attend the Laws and Rules Committee Meeting on Monday (Apr. 17) and/or the Regular Legislative Session on Tuesday (Apr. 18), and add your voice. Ask for a public hearing on the Transgender Anti-Discrimination Law and describe why you believe we must ensure that transgender residents have equal rights to personal identity and freedom of action.
Speak at the Laws & Rules Committee Meeting
Date: Monday, April 17, 2017
Time: 6:30 PM – arrive by 6:15pm to sign up to speak
Place: K.L. Binder Library, 6th floor, Ulster County Office Building, 244 Fair Street, Kingston
Speak at the Regular Legislative Session
Date: Tuesday, April 18, 2017
Time: 7:00 PM – arrive by 6:45pm to sign up to speak
Place: Legislative Chambers, 6th floor, Ulster County Office Building, 244 Fair Street, Kingston
Call or Email Your Legislator BEFORE Tuesday
Ask your legislator to support a public hearing on the Transgender Anti-Discrimination Law and describe why this is so important to you.
If your legislator already supports the bill, thank them for their support. Most Democratic legislators already support the bill, so calls and messages are most needed from people living in districts represented by Republicans.
Not sure who to contact? You can look up your legislative district via the Board of Elections and then look up your legislator here.