Taking action on a political issue that has long been stalled in Albany, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo on Thursday announced executive action intended to protect transgender people from discrimination in housing, employment and other areas.

Mr. Cuomo announced the action at a dinner held by Empire State Pride Agenda, a prominent group that advocates for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.

The governor, addressing the crowd at the Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel, said he would direct the State Division of Human Rights to issue regulations that extend protections against discrimination found in a 1945 law to cover gender identity, transgender status and gender dysphoria.

Mr. Cuomo said the move was overdue, noting that transgender people had been left out of previous antidiscrimination laws protecting gay and bisexual men and women. “The law left out the T, so to speak,” he said, adding, “That was not right, it was not fair, and it was not legal.