LGBTQ leaders and advocates encourage New Yorkers to vote yes on Proposal 1

With just two weeks remaining until the election, the statewide LGBTQ organization New Pride Agenda rallied near City Hall on Oct. 21 alongside out elected officials and advocates to drum up support for Ballot Proposal 1, which would amend the New York State constitution to bolster LGBTQ and abortion protections.

Voters across the state will have an opportunity to flip their ballots and vote on the first proposal, which is widely known as the Equal Rights Amendment. The proposal asks voters to approve or reject an amendment to the Equal Protection of the Law clause of the state constitution — specifically Section 11 of the State Bill of Rights.

The amendment would deliver a solid layer of protection from government-driven discrimination, according to attorney Matthew Skinner, an expert of LGBTQ law. It also claims it will protect New Yorkers from discrimination by “any other person or by any firm, corporation, or institution,” though legal experts say it is unclear whether that part is, indeed, enforceable.

Either way, it would undoubtedly boost the constitutional status of LGBTQ individuals in New York State — and that’s the message New Pride Agenda and other groups are spreading during what they describe as a “week of action.” 

New Pride Agenda executive director Elisa Crespo, who will soon leave the organization to take over as the executive director of the Stonewall Community Foundation, is framing the proposal as an opportunity to uphold democracy and described it as a convergence of the movements to advance LGBTQ rights and abortion rights — both of which have been under siege on multiple fronts in recent years.

“Let’s be clear, the attack on gender and reproductive care is an attack on our democracy,” Crespo said. “Our movements to protect gender-affirming care and access to abortion are increasingly uniting, as we fight to be able to make decisions about our own bodies. New Yorkers are increasingly excited by the opportunity to enshrine anti-discrimination protections into the state constitution by voting yes on Prop 1. In a post-Roe America, any and all opportunities must be taken to prevent extremist politicians from rolling back our individual rights and freedoms.”

At the rally, out Assemblymember Jessica González-Rojas of Queens and out State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal of Manhattan joined leaders of LGBTQ organizations and individuals who have directly experienced the effects of discriminatory policies. Others on hand included Public Advocate Jumaane Williams; Queens Councilmember Tiffany Cabán, who co-chairs the LGBTQIA+ Caucus; Democratic District Leader Melissa Sklarz, who is the first out trans person to win public office in New York State; and out trans activist and author Raquel Willis.

“We are at a critical moment in time, battling for the maintenance of democracy and for many of us, our very lives,” González-Rojas said. “Across our nation and here in New York, MAGA supporters are attacking our trans children and loved ones. As a queer elected official I will not have it. We cannot sit this one out! Our rights, the rights of our neighbors, families, and friends are on the line. New Yorkers, we urge you to show up on November 5. Flip the ballot over and vote yes on Proposition 1 to codify protections for LGBT New Yorkers and for the right to an abortion.  We cannot wait idly by. We have to fight. We can save the lives of millions by voting yes on Prop 1 to codify protections in our state constitution. Join us in this fight!”

A recent Siena poll indicated that Prop 1 is supported by 69% of voters in New York State — a 5% increase over the same poll’s results in September. But elected officials are not taking anything for granted down the stretch. Hoylman-Sigal, who chairs the Judiciary Committee in the State Senate, said right-wing judges and GOP lawmakers “plan to criminalize abortion and strip LGBTQ Americans of their civil rights, guaranteed by law under the US Constitution, if they are given the chance.”

“The responsibility to get this amendment passed now falls upon each of us,” Hoylman-Sigal said. “When you vote this November please vote yes on the NY ERA and encourage your friends and family to do the same.”

Trans advocate June Romero, who recalled experiencing the “life-eroding effects” of hateful and discriminatory policies, said the proposal gives New Yorkers a chance to make sure future generations are protected.

Maria O’Leary, a lifelong New Yorker whose son is transgender, said those who oppose the proposal are seeking to mislead voters. 

“But New Yorkers are neither afraid nor uneducated,” O’Leary said. “Prop 1 is about protecting reproductive health and autonomy, and we won’t be swayed by fear-mongering. Let’s show them by voting Yes on Prop 1.”