New York State's Human Rights Law protects you from discrimination in specific protected areas based on your race, creed, color, national origin, sex, gender, sexual orientation, disability, marital or familial status, age or arrest/conviction record.
If you feel you have been unlawfully discriminated against, you can file a complaint with the Ulster County Human Rights Commission.
Not all discrimination is unlawful. However, under the NYS Human Rights Law, discrimination against an individual is prohibited if it is based on race, creed, color, national origin, sex, gender, sexual orientation, disability, marital or familial status, age or arrest/conviction record.
The law also provides that an employer or landlord may not take retaliatory action against a person for having filed a Human Rights complaint.
Employment
The NYS Human Rights Law applies to employers of four or more individuals, employment agencies, labor organizations, joint labor-management seniority boards and all agencies of state and local government. Age discrimination is prohibited against persons 18 years of age or over.
Housing
Discrimination is prohibited in the sale or rental of housing, land or commercial space. These provisions apply to sellers, landlords, brokers, insurers, mortgage lenders and advertisers.
Public Accommodation
Discrimination is prohibited in public and private establishments including but not limited to: lodging, hotels, eating and drinking places, amusement parks, sports and recreation centers, swimming pools, barber shops, and retail & wholesale establishments dealing with goods and services.
Education
Any educational institution or association which holds itself out to the public to be non-sectarian and exempt from tax pursuant to the provisions of Article 4 of the real property tax law may not deny the use of its facilities to any qualified person.
Credit
Discrimination is prohibited in the granting, withholding, extending, renewing and fixing of notes, terms or conditions of any form of credit.