Committee on Women and Gender Equity meeting
April 29, 2026, 10:00 AM
Jointly with the Committee on Technology.
The Committee on Women and Gender Equity held a joint hearing with the Technology Committee on protections against harassment in digital and physical spaces for women, and heard resolutions calling on the federal government and State Legislature to protect LGBTQIA+ rights (Res 0250, Res 0251, Res 0252, Res 0352, Res 0393). No votes were taken.
What was discussed
- Opening Statements — Joint Hearing on Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence Chairperson De La Rosa (Technology) and Chairperson Farías (Women and Gender Equity) opened the joint hearing, which focused on online harassment, deepfakes, and how city agencies assist survivors of technology-facilitated abuse. Witnesses were sworn in.
- ENDGBV and Commission on Gender Equity on Digital Safety Programs for Survivors Deputy Commissioner Jennifer Decarli of the Mayor's Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence described the city's digital safety programs, including the tech abuse clinic at Family Justice Centers staffed by Cornell Tech volunteers, the STAC/CIDA initiative, and outreach under Executive
- How does the city track and share data on technology-facilitated gender-based violence? Chairperson Farías asked how ENDGBV defines and tracks harassment and tech-facilitated abuse, including what data sources are used. Decarli said the office relies on NYPD domestic incident reports but that the data doesn't break down by gender identity. Farías pressed on whether the agency could
- Do ENDGBV's digital safety and tech abuse programs reach middle school students and young people? Chairperson De La Rosa asked whether the tech abuse clinic and digital safety programs were accessible to young people in schools. Decarli said the clinic is not currently available in schools due to its reliance on Cornell Tech volunteers, but that the RAPP (Relationship Abuse Prevention Program)
- How will ENDGBV's work change now that it is housed under the Office of Community Safety? Chairperson Farías asked how the recently announced transition of ENDGBV to the Office of Community Safety would affect its work. Decarli said the transition was new and that conversations were still underway with two Deputy Mayors — Health and Human Services, and Community Safety.
- What legal tools exist for victims of deepfakes and non-consensual intimate imagery in New York? Chairperson Farías asked about New York's legal tools for addressing deepfakes and non-consensual intimate imagery. Decarli and public witness Lindsey Song (Sanctuary for Families) explained that the city's Administrative Code (now codified as section 10180) does not include digitized or deepfake
- Sanctuary for Families and Advocates on Gaps in Tech-Facilitated Abuse Law Lindsey Song of Sanctuary for Families and Paulina Cohen testified about legal gaps in protecting survivors of technology-facilitated abuse, calling for the city to update its administrative code to cover deepfakes and to align with state and federal law.
- Community Members on Experiences of Technology-Facilitated Abuse A representative from a domestic violence advocacy group (Galloway) and Christina Sparrock, a community member who felt compelled to share her personal story, testified about the real-world impact of technology-facilitated abuse on survivors.
Agenda
9 items
- Res 0449-2026 Resolution calling on the New York State legislature to pass, and the Governor to sign, S.3394-A/A.3226-A, the ceasing repeated and extremely egregious predatory (CREEP) behavior act Hearing on P-C Item by Comm
- Res 0393-2026 Resolution calling on the United States Congress to pass, and the President to sign, H.R.7467/S.3815, also known as Virginia’s Law, in relation to eliminating the statute of limitations for civil lawsuits filed by survivors of sexual abuse and trafficking Hearing Held by Committee
- Res 0352-2026 A Resolution calling on the United States Congress to pass, and the President to sign, H.R. 3562, the DEFIANCE Act of 2025, to provide a federal civil cause of action for victims of non-consensual intimate digital forgeries. Hearing Held by Committee
- Res 0252-2026 Resolution celebrating the contributions of Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera to the LGBTQ+ rights movement in the United States Hearing Held by Committee
- Res 0251-2026 Resolution calling on Congress to pass, and the President to sign, the LGBTQIA+ package of legislation currently before Congress Hearing Held by Committee
- Res 0250-2026 Resolution calling upon the New York Legislature to pass and the Governor to sign legislation to ensure equal educational opportunity, basic civil rights protections and laws and policies that prohibit bias-based victimization, exclusion, and erasure of LGBTQ+ young people in K-12 New York State Hearing Held by Committee
- Res 0099-2026 Resolution declaring May 28 as Menstrual Hygiene Day in the City of New York. Hearing Held by Committee
- Int 0884-2026 A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation reporting on efforts to combat sexual harassment and equal employment opportunity violations at city agencies, and to repeal local law 101 for the year 2018, relating to the climate surveys and action plans to combat Hearing on P-C Item by Comm
- T2026-1584 Oversight - Protections against harassment in digital and physical spaces for women and gender expansive people. Hearing Held by Committee