LeGaL is proud to finally celebrate the repeal of the portion of the New York Penal Law relating to loitering for for the purpose of engaging in prostitution — known as the ‘Walking While Trans’ ban — which has been misused by law enforcement to arrest and harass transgender New Yorkers, women of color and LGBTQ youth.

Repeal of the discriminatory law is an important step to ensure that vulnerable members our our community do not have to live in constant fear of intimidation or arrest simply for walking down the street or existing in public.

The Walking While Trans…

The LGBT Bar of New York (LeGaL) is proud to announce the election of Glen Ahlers, Pamela Goldsmith, and Kaegan Mays-Williams to our 2021 Association Board. LeGaL also celebrates the appointment of James Esseks to our 2021 Foundation Board.

October 26, 2020 — The Judiciary Committee of the LGBT Bar Association of New York (LeGaL) is pleased to announce its ratings of candidates for judicial office in New York City in advance of the November 3, 2020 general election. Candidates were eligible to receive the following ratings: “Highly Approved,” “Approved,” “Not Approved,” or “Failed to Appear.”

In order to obtain an “Approved” rating, the Panel must be satisfied that the candidate, once on the bench, will: 1) demonstrate a commitment to the equality of rights for all lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people; 2) possess the integrity, intellect, experience…

By Arthur S. Leonard

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died on September 18, 2020, age 87, having served on the Supreme Court of the United States since August 10, 1993. Throughout her tenure on the Court she had been a staunch supporter of LGBTQ rights, joining all of the pro-LGBTQ rights majorities and dissenting from all of the adverse decisions except for two in which the Court was unanimous.

In 1993, she joined Justice David Souter’s opinion for the Court in Farmer v. Brennan, 511 U.S. 825 (1994), in which the Court ruled that a transgender inmate who was repeatedly subjected…

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s final wish was that her replacement not be confirmed until a new president was installed. Yet even as we continue to grieve her loss and pay our respects, President Trump has rushed forward with his announcement that Judge Amy Coney Barrett is his choice for the seat left vacant just one week ago. The 2020 presidential election is already underway, and once again, we find our democracy in peril and the integrity of our nation’s highest court in jeopardy.

For over four decades, the LGBT Bar Association of New York has been dedicated to promoting equality…

We are heartbroken by the loss of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She was a towering figure in American jurisprudence. Her former colleague, and friend on the Supreme Court, Justice Scalia, called her the Thurgood Marshall of women’s rights. Indeed, she was a champion of equality and justice for all. LeGaL celebrates her legacy and mourns her passing.

As lawyers, we appreciate the pathbreaking road Justice Ginsburg walked as a professor, an ACLU attorney, and as a Supreme Court Justice. Her contribution to the law and the legal profession was profound. During her tenure on the Court, she was in the…

Today is June 26th. For LGBT people, the day has very special significance. Three major Supreme Court cases were decided on this day in history.

⚖️ It’s been exactly 5 years since Obergefell v Hodges, the 2015 ruling which ushered in the freedom to marry for same-sex couples nationwide

🗽It’s been 7 years since US v Windsor, the 2013 ruling which struck down the federal Defense of Marriage Act and helped pave the way for marriage equality nationwide.

🏳️‍🌈 It’s been exactly 17 since Lawrence v TX, the 2003 ruling that struck down Texas’s sodomy law as an unconstitutional deprivation of liberty.

Our fight for liberty and equality continues!

As we take to the streets to fight for racial justice, it is critical we remember that Black Lives Matter includes Black trans lives.

According to the Philadelphia Office of LGBT Affairs, Dominique “Rem’mie” Fells was found murdered on June 11th. On June 9th another black trans woman was murdered in Ohio. Her name was Riah Milton. She was only 25 years-old.

LGBT Bar Association of New York, (LeGaL) President Kristen Prata Browde”

“The murder of trans women, particularly black trans women, is a pandemic that has been horrifying and heartbreaking for years. …