When Bianey Garcia, a member of Make the Road New York who had been key in lobbying efforts to repeal “walking while trans,” heard that the law had finally been overturned, she wept.

“It was an amazing day for me, to realize that a law that criminalized my community for 44 years was repealed in New York state,” Garcia told City & State. “I cried so much because it was a long fight, not only for me but also my community.”