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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Tiffany Jade Munroe, Trans Justice Coordinator at Caribbean Equality Project, on Gender-Affirming Care and the AFFIRM Act
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Tiffany Jade Munroe, representing the Caribbean Equality Project, testified in support of Intro 1201-2025 (the AFFIRM Act) to ensure protection and accessibility of gender-affirming care for transgender New Yorkers. She emphasized the importance of removing barriers to healthcare for TGNCNB individuals, particularly immigrants and asylum seekers.
- Called for increasing the Trans Equity Initiative funding to $10 million
- Highlighted the need for legal protections against harassment and discrimination in healthcare settings
- Stressed the life-saving impact of the AFFIRM Act for the LGBTQ+ immigrant community
Tiffany Jade Munroe
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Is this on?
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Awesome.
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Dear chair Lewis and the committee on women and gender equity, thank you for holding this critical hearing on women and gender equity.
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Today I testify before you about a crucial issue ensuring that gender affirming care is protected, accessible, and covered in the same manner as reproductive health services.
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This is at the heart of intro 12 o one dash twenty twenty five, the affirm act, guaranteeing transgender New Yorkers equal access to health care without fear of discrimination or criminalization.
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My name is Tiffany Jade Munro and I am the trans justice coordinator for Caribbean Equality Project.
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We are a Caribbean LGBTQ plus immigrant rights organization.
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CP works daily with transgender and gender non confirming migrants and asylum seekers, witnessing firsthand the barriers they face when seeking gender affirming care.
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These challenges range from systemic discrimination in healthcare settings to insurance denials and the constant threat of harassment and violence.
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The affirm act is critical because it removes legal and institutional roadblocks that prevent TG and CMB individuals from receiving essential medical care.
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By explicitly including all forms of gender affirming care under these legal protections, this bill ensures that individuals who experience interference can seek legal recourse and hold perpetrators financially accountable.
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This provision is a game changer in reaffirming a person's right to health care and deterring those who seek to obstruct it.
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For the LGBTQ plus immigrant community we serve through our health navigation programs, these protections are life saving and life changing.
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I call on the city council to pass the affirm act to strengthen a health care system rooted in diversity, equity, and inclusion.
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All New York values.
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We also stand in solidarity with TransLit and serving BIPOC organizations to call for an investment to increase the trans equity initiative funding to $10,000,000, and I will say it is time to protect trans healthcare and trans youth and defend our dignity and rights.
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This city council must put an end to harassment now by strengthening legal protection
Farah Louis
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and
Tiffany Jade Munroe
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access to gender affirming care across New York City.
Shahana Hanif
1:37:23
Thank you.