Noam's Letter Supporting the Women's Equality Act

Yesterday, Noam sent a letter to every State Senator and Assemblymember from Westchester County urging them to support Governor Cuomo's 10-point Women's Equality Agenda, which is currently being debated in Albany. Noam's full letter to his State Senator, Andrea Stewart-Cousins, is below:

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Last week, Governor Andrew Cuomo released his Women’s Equality Act, a ten-point initiative that reaffirms New York’s leadership role in ending gender discrimination and inequality. The legislation would guarantee pay equity for women, provide women who are victims of sexual harassment at work or abuse at home greater protections under the law, and update our state laws to protect a woman’s freedom of choice.

I thank you for your support of this bill.

Two-thirds of our fellow citizens support the Women’s Equality Act because it is in keeping with our values and will help us create a better future for every New Yorker. It is incumbent upon us as public officials to allow everyone to reach their full potential regardless of gender.

Our state has a long and proud history of leadership on women’s issues. Indeed, the women’s suffrage movement — which set in motion a revolution that changed America and the world for the better — began in our own backyard at Seneca Falls 165 years ago next month. This legislation acknowledges and carries forward that legacy, and affords us an opportunity to renew our commitment to these values for the 21st Century.

It is vitally important that we take steps to finally achieve pay equality, so that women receive equal pay for equal work. In today’s world, there is no excuse for paying women less than men for the same work, or refusing to hire women because they have children or are pregnant. All of these injustices are covered by this legislation, as is the scourge of human trafficking; the ongoing problem of workplace sexual harassment; protections against discrimination based on a renter’s legal source of income; and much stronger protections for victims of domestic violence.

The Women’s Equality Agenda would also protect a woman’s right to choose by codifying existing federal protections and updating our state laws to ensure that abortion is no longer regulated under the criminal code. Both of these are worthy goals, supported by an overwhelming majority of Westchester County residents. Throughout the country, anti-choice advocates are working to chip away at reproductive rights, and it is important for New York to resist these efforts.

As this bill is debated and brought up for a vote over the next week, please know that you have my full support in your effort to enact this legislation in full. In Westchester County, we believe in and fight for true equality for all. Together, we can take another step forward in that fight.