42 U.S.C. §1983 was passed in 1871. There it remained, virtually unknown and unused, until 1961, when some enterprising lawyers read the U.S. Code and brought a §1983 claim that went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. Today, §1983 is perhaps the single most important and cited civil rights statute in the country.

Here in New York City, we have another statute, virtually unknown and unused. It is the New York City Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Act (for present purposes, “the Act”). In the #MeToo era, every civil rights lawyer in New York City should know, and where appropriate, use, the Act.

The Genesis of the Act