New York Needs Prop 1
This November, New Yorkers will vote on Prop 1, a proposed amendment to the state constitution which will expand its anti-discrimination provisions to cover ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, and sex – including sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, pregnancy outcomes, and reproductive healthcare and autonomy.
WHAT PROP 1 DOES
Prop 1 ensures that New Yorkers are not discriminated against or have their rights taken away by the government on account of their gender, disability status, reproductive choices, ethnicity, age, or sexual orientation.
Prop 1 prevents legislators from rolling back statutory LGBTQ+ and reproductive rights. This includes access to reproductive health care, including abortion and IVF, and access to gender-affirming care. It also protects clinics and doctors who perform abortions.
Prop 1 protects public sector employees from discrimination in hiring, promotions, pay, and benefits.
Prop 1 protects against the ramifications of a Supreme Court decision overturning Lawrence v. Texas, a landmark case that struck down state laws criminalizing sex between same-sex consenting adults.
Prop 1 prohibits judges from making discriminatory child custody decisions (i.e. basing a decision on a parent’s sexual orientation).
Prop 1 protects New Yorkers against future attempts to limit our rights. Although New York often leads the way for protections for LGBTQ+ people and other marginalized people, we are not immune to political extremists attacking our communities. Adding these protections to our state constitution is our strongest defense.
WHAT PROP 1 DOESN’T DO
Prop 1 will not allow children to have surgeries without parental consent. What it will do is prohibit the government from targeting parents who make the decision, in consultation with their child’s medical provider, to support their child when gender-affirming care is found to be medically necessary.
Prop 1 will not allow children to “gender transition procedures” in schools without their parents knowledge. What Prop 1 would do is prohibit the legislature from passing “forced outing” legislation that we have seen passed in other states, which require school employees to notify parents when their child expresses an interest in gender identity and transition. Further, there is no need for Prop 1’s application in the area of students’ privacy rights, because New York already has rules that require public school employees to respect students’ privacy, including minors.
Prop 1 will not change any existing law. It simply closes loopholes in the state constitution to prevent anyone from creating policies or legislation that discriminates against New Yorkers.
NYC residents will also have the chance to reject Props 2-6, which give the mayor’s office more power over city government, including budgeting, city legislation, and police reform. We believe power should belong to the people, not the mayor.
Election day is Tuesday, November 5. That’s our chance to protect abortion and LGBTQ+ rights for all future generations of New Yorkers.
Click here to find your local polling place, check your voter registration, find out dates for early voting, and get all other info about voting in November 2024.