Celebrating Pride Month

June 14, 2024
Monroe County Hall of Justice, Rochester

Appellate Division, Third Dept. Presiding Justice Elizabeth A. Garry, who leads the court system’s Richard C. Failla LGBTQ Commission, delivered an impassioned keynote at the Seventh Judicial District’s Pride Month Reflections event, highlighting open-mindedness and humility as judicial ideals and marking the importance of such celebrations. The program was hosted by the District’s Pride Committee along with the Embracing Our Community Committee and the Failla Commission. Attendees were gifted a pride pin at the door to wear as a show of allyship with the LGBTQ community.

District Executive Ronald Pawelczak opened the event, sharing a powerful piece written by Edward Thomas Ryan, who posthumously came out to the world via his own obituary. He also noted the Monroe court’s upcoming participation in Rochester's Annual Pride Parade. Wearing an American flag tie for an earlier school event, Seventh Judicial District Administrative Judge William K. Taylor pointed to the significance of the Pride event falling on Flag Day, proudly adding that Pride banners adorned courthouses throughout the District’s eight counties. Failla Commission Executive Director Matthew Skinner said that, while progress has been made, the fight for a just and accepting world is ongoing. Retired Appellate Division, Fourth Dept. Associate Justice Joanne M. Winslow, who sits on the Failla Commission, relayed some of her own experiences— including the career challenges she faced—as a LGBTQ community member.

While it was a joyous event, the program also served as a poignant reminder of the struggles still faced by the LGBTQ community and the urgency to keep these issues at the forefront in eradicating gender discrimination and other forms of bias.

Photo(L-R): Justice Winslow, Failla Commission Senior Counsel Charlie Arrowood, Administrative Judge Taylor, Appellate Division, Third Dept. Presiding Justice Garry, District Executive Pawelczak, and Failla Commission Executive Director Skinner at the Rochester court’s Pride celebration

June 9, 2024
Albany, New York

Third and Fourth Judicial District judges and non-judicial personnel, along with their family and friends, were proud to participate in the 2024 Capital PRIDE Parade and Festival on Sunday, June 9, in Albany's historic Washington Park. Deputy Chief Administrative Judge for Justice Initiatives Edwina G. Richardson, Appellate Division, Third Department Presiding Justice Elizabeth A. Garry, Third Judicial District Administrative Judge Gerald Connolly, and Fourth Judicial District Administrative Judge Kris Singh were among the contingent at the Albany procession and festival which, held annually, support critical programs and services that promote the well-being of LGBTQIA+ individuals and those affected by gender identity and expression discrimination.

The Albany celebration was one of many Pride events throughout the State hosted or attended by New York State Court System judges and employees in furtherance of diversity and inclusion and the promise of equal justice.

Photo Photo (L-R): Deputy Chief Administrative Judge Richardson, 3rd Judicial District Supreme Court Justice Christina L. Ryba, and Administrative Judge Connolly at the June 9th procession in Albany

Photo: (L-R): Albany Pride Parade and Festival participants Appellate Division, 3rd Dept. Consultation Clerk Matthew Side, 4th Judicial District Supreme Court Justice Michael R. Cuevas, Betsy Cahill, Appellate Division, 3rd Dept. Presiding Justice Garry, 3rd Judicial District Assistant Court Analyst Hunter Nauman, Administrative Judge Singh, 3rd Judicial District Supreme Court Justice and Permanent Committee on Access to Justice Co-Chair Christina L. Ryba, 3rd Judicial District Program Director Craig Stratton, Albany Court Surrogate’s Court Clerk Sheri Hayes, Dutchess County Senior Court Clerk Pearl Yu-Rodriquez, Albany County Surrogate’s Court Chief Clerk Deborah Kearns, Albany County Family Court Judge Amy Joyce, and NYS Law Reporting Bureau Principal Legal Editor Rocco Padula

June 6, 2024
Bronx County Supreme Court-Civil Term, Bronx

Aiming to empower and unite others in the common goal of equal justice, panelists at a recent event at the Bronx County Supreme-Civil Courthouse reflected on their lives as LGBTQ+ community members, sharing some of their professional as well as personal experiences. The hybrid program, “Reflect, Empower, Unite,” brought together New York City judges and non-judicial personnel in celebration of Pride Month, commemorated annually in June.

Panel members included Richard C. Failla LGBTQ Commission Senior Counsel Charlie Arrowood, Court Officer Bernadette Falco of Queens County Civil Court, Kings County Civil Court Chief Clerk Dawn Hill-Kearse, New York County Housing Court Supervising Judge Norma Jennings, and Bronx County Supreme Court-Criminal Term Court Attorney Robert S. Martinez, with Bronx County Civil Court Supervising Judge and New York City Civil Court Equal Justice Implementation Committee (NYC EJIC) Co-Chair Matthew Parker-Raso moderating the discussion. Deputy Chief Administrative Judge for Justice Initiatives Edwina G. Richardson, who was unable to attend in person, provided a recorded welcome message.

The insightful program was coordinated by the NYC EJIC, the Equal Justice Committees of Bronx Family Court and Bronx County Supreme Court-Criminal Term, the 12th Judicial District’s Gender Fairness Committee, the Appellate Division, First Department’s Antibias Committee, and the Bronx County Bar Association, which generously donated lunch for the event.

The “Reflect, Empower, Unite” program is available for viewing at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cACERtNDtQ

Photo: EJIC Committee members and others who helped coordinate the festivities pose for a post-event picture (L-R) Court Officer Nikki Sterling, New York City Civil Court; Judge Parker-Raso; Court Attorney Pharoah Sutton-Jackson, Bronx County Civil Court; Bronx County Civil Court Senior Court Clerks Star Jennings and Kerrie Sullivan; Bronx Civil Court Clerk Shavonne Simon; Bronx County Civil Court Principal Court Attorney Shantel Castro; and Bronx County Civil Court Senior Court Clerk Jamel Joseph.

Photo: Judge Parker-Raso (upper center), who served as moderator, kicks off the LGBTQ+ Pride Celebration at the festively adorned Bronx courtroom. Pictured are program panelists (L-R) Kings County Civil Court Chief Clerk Hill-Kearse, Richard Failla LGBTQ Commission Senior Counsel Arrowood, Queens County Court Officer Falco, New York County Housing Court Supervising Judge Jennings, and Court Attorney Martinez of Bronx County Supreme Court-Criminal Term.

Photo: Program participants and attendees were provided with an opportunity to show their Pride

Photo (L to R): Mount Vernon City Court Judges Peter Saint George and Tamika A. Coverdale, Mount Vernon High School Principal Pauline Pearce, Mount Vernon City Court Judges Lyndon D. Williams and Nichelle A. Johnson, and Court of Claims Judge Tim Lewis at Mount Vernon High School

June 3, 2024
Appellate Division, 1st Department, Manhattan

Associate Justice Bahaati Pitt-Burke, chair of the Appellate Division, First Department’s Anti-Bias Committee and Justice Forward Committee, opened the discussion, centered on the "bar-to-bench pipeline" and other issues of concern to the LGBTQ+ community.

Principal Court Attorney Alan R. Gray moderated the panel, which included Westchester County Supreme Court Justice James L. Hyer, Bronx County Civil Court Supervising Judge Matthew Parker-Raso, New York County Housing Court Supervising Judge Norma Jean Jennings, New York State Courts’ Richard C. Failla LGBTQ Commission Senior Counsel Charlie Arrowood, and Nadia Swanson, Ali Forney Center Director of Technical Assistance and Advocacy.

The event was livestreamed on the court's website and YouTube page. A recording can be viewed at Youtube.