In what is seen as a step forward for transgender rights, Governor David Paterson signed an executive order today at the LBGT Center in Greenwich Village that extends anti-discrimination protections to all transgendered state workers.

Transgendered New Yorkers have already won protections in some counties in the state, but today's order encompasses all state workers.

Efforts to write the protections into state law have so far been unsuccessful. The Assembly passed the legislation, but the Senate has refused to vote on the issue.

Speaking today, Paterson and transgender advocates both said the order will go a long way towards ensuring equal rights for all.

"The transgender community has had to wait for what are the same freedoms and equalities that everyone else enjoys, in terms of employment and choices all around this state," Paterson said. "And as far as state employees are concerned, that problem ends today."

"As the executive leader of this state, he has the courage to make it illegal to discriminate against transgender people in terms of employment," said Allyson Robinson of the Human Rights Campaign. "I hope that example will be seen by so many, particularly in the State Senate and we can move forward with employment protections in a broader way in New York State."

The order comes two weeks after a stinging defeat for gay rights advocates, when the State Senate handily defeated a bill to allow same-sex marriage.