Statement by Empire State Pride Agenda Executive Director Alan Van Capelle

July 13, 2009, Syracuse—"Twenty-two year old Lateisha Green was tragically shot and killed in Syracuse on November 14, 2008 just for being transgender. As her accused killer goes to trial today for murder, the Pride Agenda expresses its deepest sympathies to Lateisha’s family and outrage that transgender New Yorkers continue to be targeted for violence and discrimination based solely on who they are.

We urge all involved in this trial to come to a speedy and fair verdict that brings Lateisha and her family the justice they deserve. No family should ever have to suffer such a devastating loss, and no one should ever have to fear that their life is in danger simply because they are transgender. Transgender New Yorkers continue to live in a state where they are in constant fear of bias-based violence and can be kicked out of their homes or fired from their jobs simply because of who they are. For these reasons, it is long past time that New York does what thirteen other states have already done and include gender identity and expression in the State hate crimes and human rights laws by passing the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA).

The New York State Assembly has already passed GENDA twice—with significant, bipartisan support. Seventy-eight percent of New Yorkers support passing a law to end discrimination against transgender New Yorkers.* Now it is time for the State Senate to act and make GENDA law in New York State. Transgender New Yorkers—for whom this is literally a life and death issue—cannot wait any longer.”

*According to a March 2008 Global Strategy poll, 78 percent of registered New York voters support passing GENDA.