Governor Cuomo signs Gender Equality Bill at the Roosevelt House
‘The first step of solving the problem is admitting the problem—we discriminate against women. This is what the Women’s Equality Act addresses’
This morning, Governor Cuomo was at Hunter’s very own Roosevelt House, a few blocks from campus, to sign into law several bills of the Women’s Equality Act.
As noted on the governor’s website, the bills seek to “Achieve pay equality, stop sexual harassment in all workplaces, remove barriers to remedying discrimination, stop pregnancy discrimination, and strengthen human trafficking laws,” with several other provisions to protect the independence of women in housing and situations of domestic violence.
Cuomo’s official Twitter account wrote several posts on the signing of the bills, remarking ““The first step of solving the problem is admitting the problem—we discriminate against women. This is what the Women’s Equality Act addresses.”
Conspicuously, the bill on the expansion of abortion rights and protections was absent from the governor’s desk this morning. The Republicans in New York’s congress united to block any provision expanding access to abortion, forcing a concession from Cuomo and the activists fighting for the bill, the Women’s Equality Coalition.
The signing lasted for about an hour, from 11 to 12am. Several students were present, including class of 2014 Hunter alum Jackie Tosto, who said “It was a great event.
“He passed a bill about women equality and also about rape on college campuses to ensure that victims go to the police instead of just campus authorities.”
The sexual assault provisions in the bill come as Hunter and several other New York City schools are being investigated by the federal government over possible Title IX violations.