Not surprisingly the state Conservative Party is opposed to the Gender Non-Discrimination Act, reiterating their opposition in a memo to state senators today that calls the proposal “Orwellian.”

From the bill memo:

If this bill is added to the definition already included in “hate-crime” legislation it sanctions the state to equate a person who expresses opposition to transgenderism as the moral equivalent of racist and misogynists, no matter how the opposition is stated.

This bill is an Orwellian thought-crimes bill and assumes that if you disapprove of cross-dressing or transgender behavior you are morally repugnant and should be ostracized in the same manner as members of the KKK or Nazi groups.

It is unfortunate that this bill, while proposing to protect a specific class of people from being victims of crime – albeit they are already protected – in its zeal to protect actually promotes hate – hatred toward those opposed to transgendered behavior.

GENDA is a major priority of LGBT advocacy groups like the Empire State Pride Agenda, which held its lobby day last week in Albany and pushed state legislative leaders in closed-door meetings to consider the legislation.

GENDA has been a long-sought item for the LGBT movement, but was overshadowed by the push for same-sex marriage legalization that successfully passed the Republican-led Senate last year. The Conservative Party drew a stark line in the sand last year on the marriage bill; declining to endorse any candidate who voted yes on the measure.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo last week said in a Red Room that he was working with the Legislature on a GENDA bill, but was skeptical it would pass this session.