Since 2005, Trans and Gender Non-Conforming (TGNC) communities in New York City have been urging the Human Resources Administration (HRA) to address the rampant transphobia, discrimination, and harassment that Trans and Gender Non-Conforming people in New York City face when seeking to access welfare/public assistance.
In June of 2008, a week before the Fourth Annual Trans Day of Action (annual March organized by TransJustice of the Audre Lorde Project) which was set to protest at HRA headquarters, HRA officials agreed to meet with TransJustice to hear community concerns. After this first meeting with HRA in the Fall of 2008, TransJustice formed a committee of organizations including the Sylvia Rivera Law Project, Housing Works, Queers for Economic Justice and others, to develop a HRA procedure to address transphobic discrimination at HRA. To date HRA has not approved this new procedure.
We need everyone's help to call on the NYC HRA to approve and implement this new procedure. In 2005 the New York City Human Resources Administration and a Citizen Advisory Transgender Sub Committee developed the Best Practice Protocols for Working With and Serving Trans and Gender Non Conforming Employees and Clients (the new procedure is based on this document). These protocols sat on the shelf for years and were never implemented or adopted by HRA. This cannot happen again.
Take Action: Help TransJustice by signing the online petition or collecting postcards, responding to action alerts, attending campaign-related events, endorsing the campaign, or joining TransJustice.