Governor Paterson signs the Dignity for All Students Act (DASA) at The Center
It is my absolute pleasure to tell you about a wonderful event happening at the Center right now. We have the distinct honor to welcome New York State Governor David Paterson to our home on 13th Street to sign into law the Dignity for All Students Act. Governor Paterson is one of the most dedicated and staunch LGBT allies our community has ever had in an elected state office. The Center is thrilled that the Governor has chosen to come here today to sign the Dignity for All Students Act. This long anticipated anti-bullying law is critical for the youth who come to the Center’s Youth Enrichment Services program, as it is for all LGBT youth across New York State, because it addresses the bullying and harassment that threatens their safety and security in school. The Dignity for All Students Act helps make schools the safe haven they should be for our young people as they prepare for their futures.
For more than 28 years, the Center has been much more than an organization providing critical social services to adults, more than a place which provides after school programs to New York City’s LGBT youth, and more than the place where our community comes for cultural programs or to gather for celebration. The Center is THE place our community gathers in times of crisis and THE place our government representatives come to celebrate a milestones in our quest for equality.
We at the Center applaud all those in the New York State legislature who voted for this bill, and we are especially proud and grateful to the lead sponsors of this legislation, Assembly member Daniel O’Donnell and Senator Tom Duane for their determination in getting this bill passed.
We thank Governor Paterson for his continued support of the LGBT community in its entirety. He has advanced the cause of civil rights for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered individuals by directing all state agencies to recognize same-sex marriages legally performed in other jurisdictions to the full extent permitted by law, and by issuing an executive order banning discrimination in State employment on the basis of gender identity. Governor Paterson also placed landmark marriage equality legislation on the agenda for the Legislature’s extraordinary session. Though it did not pass, it was an historic vote that has emboldened Governor Paterson and advocates for same-sex marriage to fight harder to ensure that this civil right is recognized in the State of New York.
Glennda Testone
