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Q&A
City's response to commissioners' letter and ongoing DEI efforts
0:47:28
·
3 min
Council Member Farah N. Louis inquires about the mayor's response to a letter from 16 commissioners demanding a strategy to defend transgender New Yorkers, women, and immigrants. Silvia Montalban from DCAS addresses the city's ongoing efforts to protect vulnerable populations and maintain DEI practices.
- DCAS recently released guidelines for supporting individuals based on gender identity, expression, and transgender status in the workplace.
- Despite federal restrictions on DEI, NYC continues to advance equity, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace.
- The city maintains its commitment to non-discrimination, harassment prevention, and inclusive initiatives for equal access to opportunities.
- Gender identity protections, including restroom use consistent with gender identity, remain in place.
Farah N. Louis
0:47:28
Thank you.
0:47:29
On 02/28/2025, '16 commissioners appointed by Mayor Adams called for the mayor's resignation if he failed to lay out a strategy to defend transgender New Yorkers, women and immigrants.
0:47:43
While this letter demanded a response within a week, we have not yet heard about any response that the mayor's office may have provided.
0:47:52
Can any of you please provide us with an update on the status of the mayor's response and what types of substantive plans the city has undertaken to protect vulnerable New Yorkers?
Silvia Montalban
0:48:05
So I can speak generally to the importance of protecting individuals based on their gender identity, gender expression, and their transgender status.
0:48:14
Most recently I'd like to point out that we did actually put out a set of guidelines for agencies on respecting and supporting individuals based on their gender identity expression and transgender individuals in the workplace.
0:48:30
So I encourage everybody to take a look at that guide.
0:48:32
We're very proud of that.
0:48:34
I also just want to, as an opportunity to reinforce that even though DEI there are restrictions in the federal government under those executive orders, we've made clear to the EO officers which must disseminate this information to their agencies that those prohibitions don't change our general objective to advance equity, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace.
0:48:58
Specifically, nothing changes about the prohibitions against discrimination and harassment for all under the protected status that we see in the EU policy and the city human rights law and the New York State human rights law.
0:49:12
It does not change our compliance with trainings mandated by local law and the city charter.
0:49:17
It does not change recruitment outreach to make opportunities widely known to all qualified individuals.
0:49:24
And it does not change applying those same qualification standards for selection, which is grounded in relevant skills and competencies that match our business needs.
0:49:34
There's always going to be objective practices.
0:49:36
There's our non biased job descriptions, consistent questions, structured interviewing practices.
0:49:43
It does not change our inclusive initiatives for equal access to opportunities for success and opportunities for performance development and skills development.
0:49:55
And also gender identity protections as I mentioned.
0:49:58
There is a right to use the restroom that is consistent with your gender identity and that is still protected even under the mayor executive order 16.
0:50:07
And it doesn't change our ability to collect voluntary self identification demographic data for purposes of local law 14 or executive order or the EEO four reports that we are still expected to produce.
0:50:20
So I just want to say that the city's efforts to protect all individuals and our DEI practices continue.