The New York
State supreme court ruled last week that employees of
the New York City Transit Authority are not exempt from the
city’s Human Rights Law, allowing a trans woman
to proceed with a discrimination suit, according to a
press release from Housing Works. “The Human Rights
Law affords protection to transgender people in New
York City,” Justice Robert J. Miller said.
“By riding a subway, a transgender person
doesn’t become less of a person and lose the
protection of the Human Rights Law.”
The New York
State supreme court ruled last week that employees of
the New York City Transit Authority are not exempt from the
city’s Human Rights Law, allowing a trans woman
to proceed with a discrimination suit, according to a
press release from Housing Works.
“The Human
Rights Law affords protection to transgender people in New
York City,” Justice Robert J. Miller said. “By
riding a subway, a transgender person doesn’t
become less of a person and lose the protection of the
Human Rights Law.”
In 2006, Tracy
Bumpus, a 40-year-old Brooklyn resident, filed a lawsuit
against the Transit Authority, alleging that one of its
employees subjected to her to a vicious tirade on a
subway platform after she asked for help with her
MetroCard. The Transit Authority tried twice,
unsuccessfully, to have the charges dismissed.
Robert
Bacigalpui, an attorney at Housing Works, which provided
Bumpus legal counsel, said the ruling is a victory for
the transgender community.
“This
decision is of greater significance, however: It establishes
that the more than 40,000 employees of the Transit
Authority are not immune from liability when
discriminating against anyone, whether it be on the
basis of race, creed, or, as here, gender identity and
expression,” Bacigalupi said in the release.
“This is a welcome precedent.” (The
Advocate)
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