Justice And Privacy For All: Healthcare Fight For The LGBTQ+ Community Rages On
The NEW Pride Agenda led a rally to close legal gaps in LGBTQ+ healthcare and reproductive rights in Albany on Monday.
At the steps of the New York State Capitol on Monday, the NEW Pride Agenda gathered with lawmakers, healthcare providers, and civil rights advocates to rally and sound the alarm: LGBTQIA+ people in New York (especially transgender, nonbinary, and gender non-conforming individuals) are still at risk of being punished for seeking care.
The rally was part of a larger call to action in the state. The most important was to push Shield Law 2.0, which would strengthen New York’s protections for those seeking reproductive and gender-affirming care. It demands that hospitals, clinics, and healthcare providers shield sensitive patient information from anyone out of state.
“Our demands included passing ‘Shield Law 2.0’, which bolsters New York’s existing shield law, requiring healthcare institutions to secure information that could be used to punish reproductive or gender-affirming care,” the NEW Pride Agenda states.
The second focus of the rally was the Repeal STI Discrimination Act, which would finally eliminate a 116-year-old law (Public Health Law 2307) that criminalizes people who know they have a sexually transmitted infection. Though rarely enforced, the law has historically targeted LGBTQIA+ people, particularly those living with HIV. It has caused decades of fear around testing and treatment.
Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins joined the rally, stating: “The Senate Democratic Majority is proud to stand with the NEW Pride Agenda and all those demanding justice, dignity, and protection for transgender, gender non-conforming, and nonbinary New Yorkers. Since taking the Majority, we’ve fought to make New York a national leader on LGBTQ+ rights… Now, as federal and state-level attacks escalate across the country, it’s more important than ever that we continue this work.”
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Organizations in attendance included The New York Civil Liberties Union, The Center for HIV Law & Policy, Legal Action Center, The MOCHA Center of Trillium Health, Golden Psychology, and Amida Care—all of their presence proving that this isn’t just a policy battle but one grounded in public health, human rights, and legal advocacy.
At a time when states across the country are criminalizing care, the message from New York is clear: Protection shouldn’t be conditional, not on your gender, diagnosis, or silence.
Related: Colorado House Passes Bills Protecting Trans And Abortion Rights
