NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — To honor Transgender Awareness Week, New York will vacate convictions for LGBTQ+ sex trafficking victims and will require utility companies to use their customers’ preferred pronouns, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Tuesday.
Hochul signed "the START Act," which increases protections for victims of sex trafficking, labor trafficking, compelling prostitution, and trafficking in persons who are convicted of a range of offenses as a result of that trafficking or compelling.
"As we witness attacks on LGBTQ+ rights and protections around the country, New York is once again declaring that we are a state for all — one where we don't needlessly criminalize victims and where our trans, gender non-binary, and gender non-conforming communities are affirmed," she said in a statement.
"The START Act" builds on the 2010 state law that granted victims of sex trafficking the right to vacate their prostitution-related criminal convictions that were directly tied to their victimization.
The second law she signed grants LGBTQ+ customers the ability to ask utility companies and service providers for their preferred names and pronouns.
Hochul continued, "My administration is committed to equality and safety for everyone, and New York is able to lead the way because of the work of our tireless advocates and our partners in the legislature. Together, we will continue to build a state that is welcoming to all."
The new laws correlate with the week-long annual celebration that concludes with The Transgender Day of Remembrance, honoring murdered members of the transgender community.
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