March 17, 2008- The Sylvia Rivera Law Project (SRLP) is thrilled that after many months of work on the part of SRLP and other organizations, the Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) has issued a new policy regarding Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning (LGBTQ) youth. This new policy prohibits all OCFS staff, volunteers, and contract providers from engaging in any forms of discrimination against or harassment of youth on the basis of actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression.

OCFS has also issued revised Guidelines for Good Childcare Practices for LGBTQ Youth, which provide detailed explanations of what would be considered appropriate treatment of LGBTQ youth in OCFS operated residential and after-care programs. These guidelines now support the rights of transgender youth involved in the juvenile justice system in many areas, including name and pronoun use, clothing, and searches. See here for a printable PDF version of the policy.

We at The Sylvia Rivera Law Project are proud of this victory and would like to thank the OCFS Commissioner, Gladys Carrión and her staff for developing and instituting this new policy. We would also like to thank such organizations as The Peter Cicchino Youth Project at the Urban Justice Center, Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, the Juvenile Justice Coalition of the Correctional Association, the Juvenile Rights Division of the Legal Aid Society, the Empire State Pride Agenda, LGBT Community Center, SCO Family of Services, Green Chimneys Children’s Services, and Callen-Lorde Community Health Center for making this possible.