Metro

New York judge revises rules to protect transgender people from discrimination

New York’s chief judge has revised the court system’s rules of conduct for court workers to bar discrimination against transgender people.

“Court employees shall not discriminate, and shall not manifest by words or conduct, bias or prejudice, on the basis of … gender identity, gender expression …,” the new rule says.

Before the amendment, the rule forbade bias based on race, sex, sexual orientation, religion, creed, national origin, marital status, age or disability.

In a public notice, Chief Judge Janet DiFiore said the amendment was done in consultation with court officials and with approval by the Court of Appeals, the state’s highest court.

With Democrats now in charge of state government, the legislature is expected to pass the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act.

The bill had been blocked by Republicans in the Senate for years, but now the Democrats are in the majority and will likely pass it.





The Democrat-run Assembly had previously passed the measure, but it didn’t become law because it stalled in the Senate and didn’t reach Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s desk.

Cuomo in 2015 signed an executive order barring gender identity discrimination, but it does not have the full force of law.





Share this: