Issue Position: Equality and Justice

Issue Position

Phil Murphy wants to build a stronger, fairer, and more equitable state for the over nine million residents who call New Jersey home. He has assembled the most diverse cabinet in state history to ensure his administration mirrors the diversity and talent of the state -- including the first Black Lieutenant Governor, first female-majority cabinet, first openly LGBTQ+ cabinet member, first woman and Asian American Adjutant General and Commissioner of the Department of Veterans and Military Affairs, and first Sikh American Attorney General.

By engaging directly with marginalized communities in the policymaking process, Phil has moved New Jersey toward greater social equity and an improved standard of living for Black and Brown communities, for women, for the immigrant community, for members of the LGBTQ+ family, and for countless others who have been either overlooked or purposely excluded from the process for far too long.

Immigrant Rights

Phil knows that New Jersey is made stronger by its immigrant communities. He has worked in his first term to help immigrant communities not just live but also thrive in New Jersey by:

- Expanding state financial aid for college students who are undocumented;
- Establishing the Immigrant Trust Directive to strengthen trust between New Jersey's law enforcement officers and the state's diverse immigrant communities;
- Providing funding for legal representation for immigrants facing detention and deportation;
- Establishing the Office of New Americans to spearhead efforts to integrate immigrant residents into the workforce;
- Providing access to driver's licenses regardless of immigration status; and
- Launching a rental assistance program without requiring documentation of legal status, among other initiatives.

LGBTQ+ Rights

Phil has made great strides to make New Jersey a national leader in the ongoing fight for equality and a beacon of inclusivity for members of the LGBTQ+ community. Despite attempts from the federal government to roll back progress, he has eliminated discriminatory laws that subjected LGBTQ+ New Jerseyans to second-class status. Phil has fought to protect the dignity and advance the rights of everyone, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity by:

- Establishing the "LGBTQI+ Senior Bill of Rights" to protect older adults and HIV-positive residents of long-term care facilities;
- Establishing the "Babs Siperstein Law" to allow New Jerseyans to amend their birth certificates to reflect gender identity;
- Banning "gay and trans" panic legal defenses for homicide charges;
- Requiring LGBTQ+ inclusive curriculum to be adopted in New Jersey middle and high schools;
- Appointing Sue Fulton as Chief Administrator of the MVC and Shawn LaTourette as Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, and Andrew Bruck as Acting Attorney General -- the first three openly gay cabinet members in New Jersey history;
- Creating the Transgender Equality Task Force; and
- Mandating gender identity be accurately reflected on death certificates.

Women's Rights

From day one, Phil has been committed to fighting for millions of women across New Jersey. Phil has fought to make sure they are treated with the respect that they deserve by:

- Enacting the most sweeping equal pay protections in the nation to help close an unacceptable wage gap for all women, especially women of color;
- Restoring funding to Planned Parenthood, a critical step to protect women's health and reproductive rights after eight years of willful neglect from the previous administration;
- Pushing for passage of the Reproductive Freedom Act to ensure that everyone's reproductive rights are protected under state law;
- Expanding paid family leave to ensure New Jerseyans have the ability to take care of a newborn or a sick loved one without sacrificing their paychecks;
- Establishing the Sexual Assault Victim's Bill of Rights to strengthen protections and outline fundamental rights for survivors;
- Strengthening the capabilities of law enforcement agencies to manage sexual assault cases;
- Implementing a strategic plan in collaboration with First Lady Tammy Murphy to end the maternal and infant health crisis that has threatened the lives of New Jersey's mothers and babies of color;
- Nominating and swearing-in Fabiana Pierre-Louis, who became the first Black woman to be seated on the New Jersey Supreme Court;
- Nominating Rachel Wainer Apter to the New Jersey Supreme Court;
- Nominating Colonel Dr. Lisa Hou to become the first woman and Asian American to serve as Adjutant General of the New Jersey National Guard and Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs; and
- Appointing a majority-female cabinet for the first time in state history.

Now, with President Trump's 6-3 Supreme Court, protecting reproductive rights is even more crucial. Phil will defend the rights of New Jersey women by fighting to pass Roe v. Wade protections at the state level.

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