New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani invited several hundred people to a courthouse in Lower Manhattan on Tuesday evening (9 June).
“We are so proud of our status as a haven for queer people,” he said, adding that the city is dedicated to “protecting trans and queer New Yorkers from these relentless attacks that we’re facing with the federal administration.”
“The threats will continue and so will our relentless protection of trans people across the city,” Mamdani told attendees. He said the funding commitment was only a first step and promised to use “every tool at our disposal” to ensure trans New Yorkers can live with “dignity, safety and freedom.”
He said: “We view it as part of a longer-term commitment to safeguarding the rights of queer and trans people across the city, across ages,” pointing to steps taken since he took office in January.
Those include creating the city’s first Office of LGBTQIA Affairs, launching a public awareness campaign around public safety for trans people, and earmarking $15 million for gender-affirming health care in the city’s executive budget. The city’s health department also announced last week that it plans to open its own trans health clinic for adults.
Mamdani also linked support for LGBTQ people with the city's broader commitment to immigrants and other vulnerable communities, saying New York would continue to stand “opposed to cruelty and repression.” Reflecting on the city's queer history, he paid tribute to LGBTQ trailblazers who fought for recognition during their lifetimes and said he hopes to build a city where the next generation of queer icons can receive that recognition while they are still here to see it.