June 27, 2008
CARMODY CHEERED
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Award-winning Housing Works attorney Carmody |
Housing Works Staff Attorney Matthew Carmody was honored last week with the Sylvia Rivera Law Project Award for Outstanding Pro Bono Service "in recognition of his tireless work on behalf of the rights of the transgender community." Others honored at the June 19 ceremony were Anya Mukarji-Connolly of the Peter Cicchino Youth Project and Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft, which received a firm award. The Sylvia Rivera Law Project (SRLP) works to fight discrimination against gender non-conforming people, focusing on people of color and poor people.
"Not only has Matthew been an incredible fighter for the transgender community and for people with AIDS, he is an incredible resource to the Sylvia Rivera Law Project and a mentor to all of the attorneys here," said SRLP staff attorney Pooja Gehi, who presented Carmody with the award. "We can't say enough wonderful things about Matthew."
Carmody has worked as public interest attorney since graduating from CUNY Law School in 1998. In addition to his work fighting for the rights of people with HIV/AIDS, first at the South Brooklyn legal clinic, and now at Housing Works, Carmody has long made fighting discrimination against transgender people his mission.
"Transgender individuals are discriminated against wherever they go," Carmody said. "People often don't realize how to treat transgender individuals, which leads to transgender people shunning services because they aren't getting the respect they deserve. It's simple things, like that they can't even be called by the names they choose for themselves."
Carmody's highest profile transgender-related case is Bumpus v. New York City Transit Authority, involving a transgender woman who wanted assistance with her MetroCard and was verbally harassed by a New York City Transit Authority employee. The Bumpus case is currently in the discovery process.
Carmody has also worked on cases of housing discrimination against transgender individuals and numerous name-change cases. Carmody especially remembers one judge, who shot down three name-changes for transgender people in succession. While Carmody was waiting on line at the county clerk's office to figure out the best way to appeal the decisions, the judge showed up in person—unheard of in the legal world—and had a 20 minute conversation with Carmody. He schooled her about the rights of transgender people. In the end, she reversed her decisions. "The county clerk's office still talks about that," Carmody said. "They're like, 'The judge came down to see you!'"
Carmody added, "Judges don't take the rights of trans people seriously. Advocates really have to fight against this kind of discrimination. That's the only way these rights are going to be won."
Carmody was honored to be recognized by the Sylvia Rivera Law Project but said this isn't a lifetime achievement award. "I'll continue working to gain rights for the trans community for the rest of my career," he said. "Transgender people are behind the eight-ball when it comes to their rights and dignity."