New Ways Ministry sides with Hochul in lawsuit against Catholic sisters
LGBTQ advocacy group New Ways Ministry has published a report highlighting support for Gov. Hochul against the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne, who filed a lawsuit challenging a New York LGBTQ long-term care law.
New Ways Ministry, an LGBTQ Catholic advocacy group, published a piece July 15 siding with Gov. Kathy Hochul against the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne, amplifying statements from Hochul's office and two of her political allies that push back on the nuns' lawsuit over New York's LGBTQ long-term care law.
New Ways Ministry describes itself as a ministry of "advocacy and justice" for “LGBTQ” Catholics. It is not recognized by the Catholic Church. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops said in 2010 and reaffirmed in 2011 that the group's positions on same-sex marriage do not conform to Catholic teaching and that it has no authorization to identify itself as Catholic.
As Zeale News reported, New York's LGBTQ Long-Term Care Facility Residents' Bill of Rights — which Hochul signed in November 2023 and which took effect in May 2024 — requires long-term care facilities to honor transgender patients' pronouns and to assign rooms and restroom access based on gender identity. The Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne, who have cared for the dying poor free of charge at Rosary Hill Home for more than 120 years, filed a federal lawsuit April 6 seeking a religious exemption from the law, saying compliance would force them to violate their Catholic beliefs.
>> Hochul accused of anti-Catholic bigotry over LGBT law that would force nuns to violate beliefs <<
The New Ways Ministry report compiled responses supporting the state's position. It quoted Hochul spokesperson Nicolette Simmonds, who disputed several of the lawsuit's claims.
"This is complete nonsense — no law in New York forces anyone to share a room," Simmonds said, adding that health care "should not be a political attack line used to divide New Yorkers and discriminate against the LGBTQ community."
The report also cited comments from Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal, who sponsored the legislation while serving in the state Senate. In an interview with Gay City News, Hoylman-Sigal said the law protects residents who live “under fear and discrimination."
Politics and federal intervention
As Zeale News previously reported, the lawsuit has drawn the attention of the Trump administration. The Justice Department announced June 18 it would intervene on the sisters' side, arguing the state law violates the Constitution's equal protection guarantees for religious groups. In its announcement, the department warned that states "cannot require Americans to abandon their religious beliefs in the name of woke gender ideology."
The New Ways Ministry report also cast the lawsuit as an issue in New York's gubernatorial race, noting that Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, Hochul's Republican challenger, has backed the sisters' lawsuit and criticized the law using the phrase "gender ideology." The report said Blakeman “has a record of backing transphobic legislation,” citing his support of the Supreme Court's recent ruling allowing states to restrict men in women's sports.
New Ways Ministry also quoted Assemblymember Tony Simone, a Hochul ally, criticizing Blakeman's position.
"Bruce Blakeman wants to follow Trump's lead to deny elderly LGBTQ+ New Yorkers the care they need when at their most vulnerable," Simone said. He accused Blakeman of "weaponizing seniors' health to score political points."
The report concluded by noting that Rosary Hill Home has not received any complaints under the law since it took effect and questioned whether the sisters were “accommodating” LGBTQ residents or whether such residents are choosing to seek care elsewhere.
