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While the transgender, non-binary and intersex communities are rather small in numbers, New York State is over 54,000 square miles! This can seriously affect community members who are living in rural or small suburban parts of our state who feel isolated and alone. Finding allies, helpful resources, and like-minded people can be an almost impossible job, even with social media. Most LGBT-specific organizations are located in larger towns and cities in New York, while active trans-specific organizations are found only sporadically across our state. Because social connections are important for our physical and mental wellbeing, GENY leadership recognized early on the need for statewide actions to remedy this problem.
What is GENY doing?
In late 2015, the Empire State Pride Agenda, New York’s statewide LGBT advocacy organization, ceased operations and folded. This left our community with no civil rights, alone with no statewide organization to lead, no funds, and no link to allies and supporters. Immediate action needed to take place, so Long Island advocate Juli Grey-Owens contacted transgender activists from across New York State and the group began meeting in February of 2016 in a series of conference calls. This newly-formed statewide network of TGNBI advocates began plotting the next steps in the fight for our community’s civil rights, and that group would eventually form GENY’s current leadership group.
In order to create a clear and comprehensive legislative and advocacy agenda, GENY went to the community in a series of Town Hall meetings across the state.
These events used an “open mic” format to allow community members to speak openly about their needs and the issues that restrict their safety, equality, and ability to succeed. The twenty-two (22) statewide Town Hall events, held in 2016 and 2017, helped us find out firsthand what the needs of our communities were, and we collected the responses and sorted them by issue. This list was the first step in ensuring that our advocacy efforts are focused on the real, pressing needs faced by transgender, non-binary, and intersex individuals in New York State.
Our regular mailings and social media postings continue to educate and update our members with information on important issues, needed legislation, and civic engagement events to help push for changes in public awareness, legislation, and policies. GENY’s core mission remains to serve transgender, non-binary, and intersex (TGNBI) New Yorkers, which means reaching out, listening, and sharing community information.
Our website’s Event Calendar includes events across the state, not just in New York City! We host the calendar so that our members can find events in their local areas that can provide emotional support, practical assistance, information, and a sense of belonging.
Our website’s Community Resource page includes listings of agencies, organizations, non-profit groups, and individuals that serve and work to improve the quality of life for transgender, non-binary and intersex New Yorkers by providing tools and assistance that will help our community grow in positive ways.