Governor Hochul Announces Major Advancements in LGBTQ+ Equity as Part of FY 2023 State Budget

Press Release

Governor Kathy Hochul tonight spoke at the LGBT Community Center 2022 Dinner and announced major advancements in equity initiatives for the LGBTQ+ community as part of the enacted FY 2023 State Budget. The Budget includes $13.5 million for the Department of Health to support the LGBTQ+ community and more than doubles annual LGBTQ+ Health and Human Services funding. It also requires all state agencies that collect information about a person's gender to provide an option for people to mark their gender as 'X' on state forms and include that information in data collection. The budget also enables transgender New Yorkers to change their names or gender designations on marriage certificates without leaving their dead names on them.

"The work of The LGBT Center is essential in providing a space of value, love and belonging for members of the LGBTQ community, especially queer and trans people of color," Governor Hochul said. "The past two years have been hard for us all, but especially hard for LGBTQ+ New Yorkers who have always been forced to deal with levels of isolation due to homophobia and transphobia. That's why it's so important that our newly enacted budget presses forward in the fight for equality with historic levels of state funding and initiatives for LGBTQ+ equity."

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