Advocates call Penal Law Section 240.37 a vestige of the 1970s, or "Stop and Frisk 2.0." It’s commonly referred to as "Walking While Trans" because it’s been frequently misused to incarcerate transgender women of color.

Assemblymember Amy Paulin wants the law repealed. She and Senator Brad Hoylman are sponsors of a bill that would do just that: S1351/A3355.

"This law was put in place in 1976, right before the Democratic National Convention. It was put into place not to sweep transgender women, but to sweep scantily-clad women in Times Square off the street at a time when they wanted to make, in quotes, a good impression," Assemblymember Paulin said.

The bill has been misrepresented as the decriminalization of prostitution, but Paulin hopes that a support memo from the District Attorneys Association of the State of New York dispels that myth.

The DA’s support memo states, "Over time, this statute has come to be used in ways that wrongfully profile people and even lead to their arrest based on nothing more than gender expression or appearance."

According to Paulin, in recent years, Black and Latino transgender women have been targeted by the law.

"Ninety-one percent of the arrests are made over those two groups. It’s nicknamed 'Walking While Trans,' because someone can be arrested simply for having an Adam’s Apple," she told Capital Tonight.

The repeal of the "Loitering for the Purposes of Engaging in Prostitution Law" will be debated on the floor of the Assembly on Tuesday.