Priority Policy Domains:

EQNY Policy Priorities

Disability Justice & Mental Health Access

Equality New York (EQNY) believes that disability justice is integral to LGBTQ justice. EQNY will fight for disabled LGBTQI New Yorkers from a “nothing about us without us” perspective. This especially includes psychiatric and intellectual/developmental disabilities.

EQNY's Policy Priorities in this Domain:

Further data collection on Kendra’s Law and involuntary commitments based on LGBTQ identity

This change will enhance and support better data collection on Kendra’s Law We know that outpatient commitments due to mental illness authorized under Kendra’s Law are racially biased and impact disproportionately New Yorkers of color. We need to know more about whether LGBTQ people are being disproportionately targeted by the

Develop a bill to help discontinue the use of police and other armed officers in mental responses

This bill would stop the abusive force used by police and armed officers in mental response throughout New York State A majority of people shot by law enforcement nationally are disabled, often with mental illness. Currently, armed law enforcement is untrained to deal with anyone experiencing a mental health crisis.

Develop a bill to ban conversion therapy on adults under guardianship

This bill would ban the use of conversion therapy on those over the age of 18 and under legal guardinaship The current New York State conversion therapy ban forbids conversion therapy on minors under 18. However, it leaves out adults who are under a guardianship because of a mental or