SONDA takes effect

There were fireworks above the Hudson River in Albany, N.Y., Thursday night as New Yorkers celebrated the passage of the Sexual Orientation Non-Discrimination Act, which was passed in December and took effect at midnight Thursday, the Albany Times Union reports. The new law, which took 31 years to clear the state assembly, makes antigay discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations, and credit illegal throughout the state. "It was really important to do something symbolic," said Matt Foreman, executive director of the Empire State Pride Agenda, of Thursday's fireworks display. "It was 31 years waiting for this day."