“President Trump’s transgender military ban is an assault on our nation’s commitment to ensuring equal rights for all. The President’s policy endorses discrimination in our armed forces, undermines national security, and repays bravery and sacrifice with hate.
“In New York, we stand shoulder to shoulder with our troops and the transgender community and we have zero tolerance for intolerance. We proudly took action in 2015 to affirm that all transgender people are protected under the State’s Human Rights Law, and this year we enshrined those protections in State law once and for all with the Gender Expression Nondiscrimination Act.
“While this federal administration governs by bigotry and division, New York is going the exact opposite direction. I am directing the Division of Veterans’ Services, the Division of Military and Naval Affairs, and the Division of Human Rights to provide all necessary services and resources to transgender service members who are displaced by the abhorrent federal policy.
“To transgender service members, your families, and all uniformed New Yorkers, we stand with you and we will do everything in our power to support you. In New York, we believe in equality and we will never stop fighting to ensure the dignity and respect of all.”
