Paterson bans discrimination against transgender New York state employees

Governor David Paterson received a standing ovation at the LGBT Community Center in lower Manhattan earlier today as he signed an executive order to ban discrimination against transgender state employees.

"For far too long... the transgender community has had to wait for the same equality others enjoy based on employment," he said. "That ends today."



Governor David Paterson signs the executive order.

Empire State Pride Agenda executive director Alan Van Capelle and Michael Silverman of the Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund were among those who joined state Sen. Tom Duane, state Assemblymembers Deborah Glick, Dick Gottfried, Danny O'Donnell and other elected officials on stage as Paterson signed the directive.

"Transgender people, like all New Yorkers, need stability, and it starts in the workplace," Melissa Sklarz, director of the New York Transgender Rights Organization, said.

Paterson's executive order makes New York the seventh state to specifically ban discrimination against trans public employees. His mandate also came as an arguably much needed shot in the arm for activists who continue to lobby state lawmakers to pass the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act, marriage for same-sex coupes and the Dignity in All Schools Act.

"Today is a good first step," Van Capelle said. "It is not the end of our fight."



From right; Michael Silverman of the Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund and Pauline Park of the New York Association for Gender Rights and Advocacy stand alongside Gov. David Paterson.



State Sen. Tom Duane applauds Gov. David Paterson.



Melissa Sklarz of the New York Transgender Rights Organization.

Paterson to ban discrimination against transgender New York State employees

Boy in Bushwick has learned Gov. David Paterson will sign an executive order tomorrow that will ban discrimination against transgender state employees.

The governor is scheduled to sign the order tomorrow morning at the LGBT Community Center in lower Manhattan. Michael Silverman, executive director of the Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund, praised the move.

"This executive order will ensure that hard-working transgender employees of New York State can work without fear of discrimination, and provide for themselves and their families," he said. “We applaud [Gov.] Paterson for taking this important step for transgender equal rights.”

Delaware, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania currently ban discrimination against their public employees based gender identity and expression. The federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act remains stalled in Congress, but Dru Levasseur of Lambda Legal told the New York Times he feels the state will once again be at the forefront of what he described as states "that are taking the lead on workplace fairness."

Paterson concedes he never wanted to become governor

Less than a week after the Obama administration reportedly conveyed a message to Gov. David Paterson to suspend his election campaign, New York's embattled governor conceded he had no intentions to become the state's chief executive.

Circumstances obviously dictated otherwise, but Paterson made the confession at an Associated Press luncheon yesterday in Syracuse. The New York Times reported Paterson said he decided to run for lieutenant governor in 2006 based on his hope then-U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton would have become president and then-Gov. Eliot Spitzer would have appointed him as her successor. Paterson's desire obviously did not become reality. And Spitzer's March 2008 resignation catapulted Paterson into New York's governorship.

The governor made his comments less than three days after Obama delivered a speech in Troy. New York-based pundits and others were quick to opine the obviously awkward moment--and the president's apparent overtures to state Attorney General and presumptive 2010 gubernatorial candidate Andrew Cuomo.

New York First Lady Michelle Paige Paterson criticized the White House's intervention in a series of interviews with local television stations and newspapers, but her husband's comments simply stoke growing sentiment Paterson should step aside.

White House asks Paterson to end election campaign

As New York Gov. David Paterson's approval numbers hover around 30 percent, a report the White House has asked the governor to pull out of the 2010 gubernatorial campaign is nothing short of extraordinary.

The New York Times reported today Congressman Gregory Meeks [D-N.Y.] conveyed the administration's desire to Paterson. Newsday said Meeks broke the news to Paterson at a Manhattan dinner on Friday night, but two officials told the Times the White House has grown increasingly concerned about the governor's unpopularity and its potential impact on local and Congressional Democrat's prospects next fall.

Paterson, who took office in March 2008 after Gov. Eliot Spitzer became embroiled in a prostitution scandal and resigned, repeatedly asserted to local media outlets his gubernatorial campaign will continue. He and Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick are the country's only two black governors, but the White House's apparent intent to dissuade Paterson from his election campaign is nothing short of a stunning shot over the bow that adds even more writing to an already covered wall.

New York politics remains largely based on racial, socio-economic and other identity-driven demographics. Paterson is, in many ways, a product of the city's black political machine. His handling of the process to nominate Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's successor to the U.S. Senate and his repeated assertions last month the president would face racially motivated criticisms that are similar to those he contended his opponents have lobbied against him, however, are among the growing list of things that made him something of a pariah or even a persona non grata in political circles on both sides of the aisle.

Paterson's personal story remains an inspiring example of how anyone can overcome exceedingly difficult obstacles, but one can easily conclude his governorship is nothing short of an abject failure. Republicans and Democrats alike will almost certainly continue to urge the governor to put himself out of his own misery and step aside. These calls will almost certainly grow louder and more public. And the White House's desire indicates the end could come for Paterson far sooner than he would certainly like.

Stay tuned...

Paterson names Gillibrand to Senate

My EDGE story on Gov. David Paterson's decision to appoint Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand to fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Hillary Clinton.


After weeks of speculation, New York Gov. David Paterson has named Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand to fill the U.S. Senate seat left vacant by Hillary Clinton.

Paterson and Gillibrand appeared at an Albany press conference earlier today alongside senior U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer, state Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver [D-Manhattan] and other leading Democrats.

"I will represent the many diverse views and voices of the entire state," Gillibrand said.

This announcement caps off nearly two months of speculation after President Barack Obama tapped Hillary Clinton as his choice for Secretary of State. Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi, Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown and openly lesbian United Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten were reportedly on the governor’s short list. Caroline Kennedy had also campaigned for the seat until she abruptly withdrew her name earlier this week.

Gillibrand, who represents a traditionally Republican district that includes parts of the Adirondacks, the Catskills and the Hudson Valley, has backed a number of LGBT-specific pieces of legislation since she was first elected to Congress in 2006. These include the Employment Non-Discrimination Act and the repeal of "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell."

The Empire State Pride Agenda released a statement shortly after news of Paterson’s choice broke that said Gillibrand expressed her support of marriage for same-sex couples to executive director Alan Van Capelle. She further indicated this support following Paterson’s announcement.

"While we had a productive discussion about a whole range of LGBT concerns, I was particularly happy to hear where she stands on these issues," Van Capelle said.

Albany-based transgender activist Moonhawk River Stone applauded Gillibrand.

"She’s bright and capable," he said. "She’s a friend to our community."

NARAL Pro-Choice New York also endorsed Gillibrand, but some downstate LGBT activists and politicos remain skeptical. Matthew Carlin, president of the Stonewall Democratic Club of New York City, expressed doubt over Gillibrand’s record. He also criticized her National Rifle Association endorsement and her vote against the Troubled Assets Relief Program.

"She’s a lot more conservative than Hillary," Carlin said. "It makes sense to replace Hillary with someone of similar leanings."

Stone conceded Gillibrand is more conservative on some issues than other New York Democrats, but he said he remains optimistic she will represent New York well in the Senate.

"Candidates that can take an endorsement from the NRA can vote for a trans-inclusive ENDA," Stone said. "We have to be mature enough as a community to understand that."

Paterson takes office

Hope seemed to run eternal as Gov. David Paterson took office in Albany yesterday after one of the most turbulent and surreal weeks in the history of New York politics. The scandal and hypocrisy that brought down former Gov. Eliot Spitzer seemed light years away as Paterson assumed the helm of a state facing a $5 billion budget shortfall, growing woes on Wall Street and a citizenry that almost certainly needs reassurance of the state's political system.

Paterson was hopeful and optimistic in his brief speech, but he is, perhaps most importantly, a stark contrast to the combative style his predecessor during his all too brief 14-month tenure. New Yorkers across the state are almost certainly looking for a fresh start in Albany, and are looking to Paterson to deliver. Let's hope he can.