The Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne, who run the 42-bed Rosary Hill Home, are contesting provisions of a 2023 state law signed by Governor Kathy Hochul, known as ‘The Long-Term Care Facility Residents’ Bill of Rights for LGBTQIA+ New Yorkers and People Living with HIV. The legislation requires facilities to provide accommodations, including room assignments, bathroom access, and respectful communication, based on residents’ gender identities.
The lawsuit is filed by Colorado-based law firm First & Fourteenth, which argues the rules infringe on the sisters’ religious beliefs and free speech. The firm says it has filed the lawsuit preemptively, arguing the state could enforce the law against the hospice in the future. It objects to provisions requiring staff training in cultural competency, use of patients’ preferred pronouns, and policies ensuring residents’ rights to intimacy and association. They have cited letters allegedly sent as warning to the hospice.
However, a state agency website shows zero complaints against Rosary Hill Home, and the letters may reflect standard explanations of anti-discrimination rules. The law firm is spearheading the suit in the nuns’ name, though the sisters wish to stay out of court.
