Angela Weiss / AFP via Getty Images
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a bill Tuesday that repeals a state anti-loitering law, commonly called the walking while trans ban, that critics say police used to harass and arrest law-abiding trans people, in particular.
The new measure effectively takes off the books a 1976 law that sought to prohibit loitering for the purpose of prostitution. Politicians and
LGBTQ advocates say the law resulted in decades of discrimination by law enforcement. Repealing the archaic walking while trans ban is a critical step toward reforming our policing system and reducing the harassment and criminalization transgender people face simply for being themselves, Cuomo said in a statement.
an anti-prostitution law Tuesday that advocates say disproportionately targeted LGBTQ people.
The law, created in 1976, allowed police to penalize people they assumed were loitering for prostitution purposes. They looked out for people wandering in an area and repeatedly beckoning at cars or people, as well as paid attention to women with Adam s apples, big hands and feet to identify potential sex workers, according to the repeal bill s justification. For that reason the law earned its walking while trans law nickname.
The bill to repeal that law passed with an overwhelming majority. The senate voted 44 to 16, and, later in the day, the assembly passed it 105 to 44.
Oswego Police to participate in CALEA accreditation nny360.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from nny360.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
New York’s anti-loitering legislation, which targets trans sex workers, is under fire.
You may not have heard of the “Walking While Trans” law, but it’s a discriminatory statute that has aggressively been used to arrest and detain trans folks.
The existing law allows police officers to act based on what they may deem suspicious or law breaking. These subjective regulations put trans women, specifically trans women of colour, at risk.
It is believed that many of the arrests occurring across New York, targeting trans men and women, fall under the category of “loitering for the purpose of prostitution.”
Share
Governor Cuomo Announces Comprehensive Package to Combat Domestic Violence and Gender-Based Violence as Part of 2021 State of the State
WYSIWYG
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced a comprehensive package of initiatives to combat domestic violence and gender-based violence as part of the 2021 State of the State. The package includes a proposal allowing courts to require abusers to pay for damages to the housing unit, moving expenses, and other housing costs related to domestic violence, as well as a proposal to require the Office of Court Administration report domestic violence felony statistics to the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services monthly.