Text of NY J 2164 (2026)

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.