Civil Rights for All: The NYS Human Rights Law Turns 80

New York State Capitol 
Governor's Reception Room
Monday - Friday
7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.

In 1945, Governor Thomas A. Dewey signed the Ives-Quinn Anti-Discrimination Act, making New York State the first in the country to enact legislation that prohibited employment discrimination based on race, creed, color, and national origin. This landmark law, originally named after its sponsors, Assemblyman Irving M. Ives and Senator Elmer F. Quinn, was later renamed the New York State Human Rights Law and laid the groundwork for future civil rights protections in the United States. Following New York’s lead, several other states passed fair employment laws which ultimately put pressure on the federal government to act.

Since the law was enacted 80 years ago, civil rights have evolved, and the Human Rights Law has expanded to provide protections not only in employment but also in housing, public accommodations, educational institutions, and credit. The law has also expanded to cover more New Yorkers—now providing anti-discrimination protections based on nearly two dozen protected characteristics such as age, disability, sexual orientation, military status, and more.

Today, the New York State Human Rights Law is not just the oldest state-level civil rights law in the country—it is also one of the strongest. The New York State Division of Human Rights—the state agency charged with enforcing this important law—works to investigate, prosecute, and adjudicate thousands of discrimination complaints across the state every year.

The historic milestones featured in this exhibit represent just a few examples of the Human Rights Law’s impact on advancing equality throughout New York State. Yet there is more work to do. New York is committed to building on the progress made, ensuring all New Yorkers live free from discrimination.

Left: An Equal Chance, a booklet published by the New York State Commission Against Discrimination, 1951. 
NYC Commission on Human Rights Collection, NYC Municipal Archives.
Right: “Anti-Racial Bill Signed by Dewey.” New York Times, March 13, 1945.

To enforce the Ives-Quinn law, New York State created the State Commission Against Discrimination (SCAD) and appointed Elmer A. Carter as chairman. Under Carter’s leadership, New York State was seen as a pioneer in addressing racial discrimination.

1952-1955: The Ives-Quinn anti-discrimination law was expanded by prohibiting discrimination in housing and places open to the public, like hotels, restaurants, movie theaters, and hospitals.

1958-1960: After filing a complaint with SCAD to challenge Trans World Airlines’ discriminatory hiring practices, Ruth Carol Taylor became the first Black flight attendant in the United States, hired by Mohawk Airlines.  Later, New York native Patricia Banks successfully won a lawsuit against Capital      Airlines after repeatedly being denied employment despite her graduation from the Grace Downs Air Career School.

Left: Ruth Carol Taylor
Right: Copy of the ruling in "Patricia Banks vs. Capital Airlines." Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Casey Grant in honor of Patricia Banks Edmiston, Patricia Grace Murphy, and Eugene Harmond.
 

1968: SCAD was renamed the New York State Division of Human Rights (DHR), and the Ives-Quinn Anti-Discrimination Act became known as the New York State Human Rights Law (hereafter referred to as the HRL).

As the fight for civil rights expanded, so did the scope of the HRL to address the diverse needs of New Yorkers. 

1970: DHR ordered Con Edison, one of the world’s largest energy companies, to stop gender-based pension discrimination.

1974: The law was expanded to prohibit discrimination against individuals with disabilities--a protection that existed nearly two decades ahead of the federal Americans with Disabilities Act.

1976-77: New York State extended employment discrimination protections for people with certain arrest and conviction records, supporting their reintegration into society and the workforce.

1985: DHR successfully challenged Macmillan Publishing’s unfair pay, hiring, and practices toward women.

1986: Attorney Geoffrey Bowers filed a complaint with DHR alleging his employer fired him when he was diagnosed with Kaposi’s sarcoma and AIDS. DHR ruled in Bowers’ favor, awarding $500,000 in compensatory damages and back pay.

Geoffrey Francis Bowers. From the Associated Press.

In the 1990s and early 2000s, New York State strengthened its legislation by including protections related to disability rights, religion, sexual orientation, and military status.

1997: New York State strengthened the HRL to align its anti-discrimination protections with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (1990), which requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations for employees with disabilities.

Disability Independence March, New York City, July 1993.
 

2002: The HRL was expanded to include protections for religious practices and observances in the workplace. Employers can no longer require employees to violate or forego the practice of their religion, including the observance of holy days.

2003: Military status was added to the HRL as a protected class, prohibiting discrimination based on military status in all areas covered by the law.

2003: The Sexual Orientation Non-Discrimination Act (SONDA) amended the HRL to include sexual orientation as a protected class, making it illegal to discriminate on that basis in all areas covered by the Human Rights Law, including employment, housing, public accommodation, credit, and education. 

New York State has seen a recent surge in reported acts of hate and bias, with the number of hate crime reports increasing by 12.7% in 2023 alone. In response, DHR developed strategies to combat hate through community outreach and education, emphasizing on the importance of properly reporting hate and bias incidents whenever they occur. 

2019: A record number of expansions to the HRL were passed in 2019. They included:

• Amending the law to include the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act, which prohibits discrimination based on gender identity or expression.
• Strengthening workplace sexual harassment protections.
• Prohibiting discrimination based on religious clothing, facial hair, or hairstyle.

2021: Protections were added to cover for-profit and career schools and domestic workers.

2022: New protections were enacted to prohibit discrimination based on a person’s citizenship or immigration status.

2022: The HRL was expanded to cover survivors of domestic violence and all public employers.

2023: Access to justice was strengthened by extending the statute of limitations for discrimination and retaliation claims under the HRL from one to three years. 

Left: The Empire State Plaza lit in blue in honor of Human Rights Day, 2022.
Right: “Call Out Hate” campaign, 2024, Hate and Bias Prevention Unit of the NYS Division of Human Rights