LGBT Rights in NY

Laws, Bills, Proposals

Want to know how to support LGBTQIA+ rights and trans healthcare bills? Write letters to your representatives!  
Click here for letter templates

Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Hospital Condition of Participation: Prohibiting Sex-Rejecting Procedures for Children

The proposed rule "Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Hospital Condition of Participation: Prohibiting Sex-Rejecting Procedures for Children" would prohibit hospitals enrolled in Medicare and Medicaid from providing most services for the treatment of gender dysphoria, including puberty blockers, HRT, and surgeries.

Call to Action:

• Click on the link below to leave a public comment:
  (Public comment period ends Feb 17, 2026)
  
  Click here to submit a public comment

Important  Note: These comments are public and can be viewed by anyone. DO NOT include any personal identifiable information, such as your name, location, child’s name, etc.

NYS Senate Bill S6377A Medicaid Coverage & Non-Discrimination

Requires Medicaid to cover gender-affirming care regardless of federal funding; prohibits discriminatory practices by health care entities and insurers; relates to coverage for treatment for gender dysphoria.

Calls to Action:

• Click on the links below and click "Aye" to show your support of this bill.
  (You must create an account and scroll down and click "finish" to register.)

  • Support Senate Bill S6377A

  • Support Assembly Bill A6596A

• Write to Senators & Assembly Members:

  • Letter Templates

NYS Senate Bill S7924 Gender-Affirming Care Fund & Access Support

Creates a gender-affirming care fund and program to expand access to care in New York.

Calls to Action:

• Click on the links below and click "Aye" to show your support of this bill.
  (You must create an account and scroll down and click "finish" to register.)

  • Support Senate Bill S7924

  • Support Assembly Bill A8841

• Write to Senators & Assembly Members:

  • Letter Templates
    
    

H.R.2487 - Transgender Health Care Access Act

To improve access to evidence-based, lifesaving health care for transgender people, and for other purposes.

Calls to Action:

• Click the link below and click "Give Feedback on This Bill" to contact your representative:
  H.R.2487 - Transgender Health Care Access Act

• Write to Representative Josh Riley to urge him to cosign the bill.
  Letter Template

Information About Executive Orders and Identity Documents

• Identity Documents for Trans and Nonbinary People
  Source: Lambda Legal

• Executive Order Explainers and Resources
  Source: PFLAG

• Letter from Letitia James, New Your State Attorney General
  On February 3, 2025, NY Attorney General, Letitia James wrote a letter in response to the actions by the federal government.
  
  Excerpt from the letter:
  "Regardless of the availability of federal funding, we write to further remind you of your obligations to comply with New York State laws, including those that prohibit discrimination against individuals based on their membership in a protected class, such as sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, race, creed, color, national origin, citizenship or immigration status, military status, disability, or marital status. See, e.g., N.Y. Exec. Law § 296(2); N.Y. Civ. Rights Law § 40-c. Electing to refuse services to a class of individuals based on their protected status, such as withholding the availability of services from transgender individuals based on their gender identity or their diagnosis of gender dysphoria, while offering such services to cisgender individuals, is discrimination under New York law."
  
  (Download PDF)

Call to Action: 

• Write to Attorney General Leticia James:
  Letter Template

New York State Rights

New York State Laws on Gender and Sexual Minorities
Source: Gender Equality Law Center

Students Rights in NYS

Your Rights as an LGBTQ Student in NY
Source: ACLU of New York

Immigration Rights

All people in the United States, regardless of immigration status, have certain rights and protections under the U.S. Constitution.
Todas las personas en los Estados Unidos - sin importar su estatus migratorio - tienen derechos y protecciones bajo la constitución del país. 

• Download Red Cards / Tarjetas Rojas
  Printable cards that explain your rights if stopped by ICE agents. Available in English, Spanish, and other languages.
  Source: Immigration Legal Resource Center

• We Have Rights (English)
  Videos that explain how to prepare for and safely defend our rights during encounters with Immigration & Customers Enforcement.

• Tenemos Derechos (Español)
  Una campaña de empoderamiento para preparar y defender de manera segura nuestros derechos durante encuentros con la agencia de Inmigración y Aduanas (ICE).

NY Name Change Resources

Ithaca College Trans Name Change Guide
Know How: The trans person's guide to get or change all of the life documents and essential paperwork you'll need to make your way in the world.