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| Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy |
Here's a glimmer of hope after a dismal week in LGBTQ news: Democratic governors are moving to offset the effects of the Trump administration's assault on transgender protections.
Both New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy have taken steps to explicitly protect the rights of transgender students in their states. In a letter to New York State Commissioner of Education MaryEllen Elia Thursday, Cuomo wrote:
"In light of the federal government's action to rescind federal protections for transgender students, the state Education Department needs to immediately issue a directive to school districts making it clear that transgender students in this State are expressly protected from discrimination and harassment under New York State's laws and policies."
In 2010, New York lawmakers passed the Dignity for All Students Act (DASA) promising students a harassment-free learning environment based on “gender” and “sexual orientation,” among other classifications. Cuomo's letter explicitly states that gender "includes a student's actual or perceived gender, their gender identity or expression."
Gov. Malloy issued an executive order stating that "discrimination based on sex, including gender identity or expression," in public schools and higher learning institutions is now "prohibited by Connecticut law."
The order also promised to deliver guidelines to public schools on how to implement the policy and charged the University of Connecticut with developing policies consistent with the new law.
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