On National Coming Out Day last month, Zohran Mamdani made a direct appeal to LGBTQ voters. He released a video tribute to Sylvia Rivera, an icon of the 1970s trans liberation movement. He spoke not only of Rivera’s story, but of her struggle — honoring her legacy by making historic pledges to the health and wellness of queer New Yorkers.
He will succeed a mayor who kowtowed to Donald Trump and parroted his anti-trans drivel. Mamdani’s victory is a repudiation of the Trump administration’s scorched-earth campaign to ostracize, demonize, and marginalize the LGBTQ community, including here in New York. We must seize this momentum to fortify not only our city, but our entire state, against continuing extremist attacks on our health care and welfare — because our reputation as a “safe state” is a myth.
The U.S. Department of Education has taken NYC public school funding hostage, demanding the rescission of anti-discrimination protections as ransom. Trump has moved to withhold resources for hospitals in exchange for ending gender-affirming care — and NYU Langone infamously halted the life-saving treatments.
And Trump acolytes here in New York are taking this hateful campaign local: in Nassau County, the county executive is pushing for a trans sports ban, and school officials are rolling back protections for trans students.
We cannot forget that these attacks are inextricably linked to anti-trans violence. This Trans Day of Remembrance, celebrated today, we are thinking of the lives cut short. We bear the name of Sam Nordquist, a trans man who was brutally tortured and murdered in upstate New York. We hold in our memories the life of Katelyn Benoit, a trans student from Rochester who took their own life. These tragedies remind us that anti-trans policies are directly connected to rising self-harm among trans youth.
In the wake of tragedy, advocates have turned pain into purpose, securing significant investments in trans wellness to address historic economic and health inequities.
This year, New York State expanded the Lorena Borjas Transgender Wellness & Equity Fund (TWEF), the nation’s second state-level fund supporting trans-led organizations. The Legislature and governor enhanced its FY2026 allotment by $500,000, for an annual investment totaling $4.75 million — giving TWEF organizations more resources for their health care, housing, and workforce development programs.
Later in the year, New York City carried this progress forward: led by allies in the Council’s LGBTQIA+ Caucus, the Big Apple allotted nearly $14 million to vital community services. This includes a first-ever dedicated allocation of $3.5 million to gender-affirming care, a decisive response to Trump’s efforts to freeze resources for institutions offering this life-saving care.
And Mamdani’s campaign has pledged to build on these investments by creating an Office of LGBTQIA+ Affairs and expanding access to gender-affirming care. He has also vowed to toughen our LGBTQ sanctuary laws, strengthening the rights of queer New Yorkers.
Yet statewide, we remain acutely vulnerable to attack, and yawning gaps in health care and housing persist.
First, it is imperative to enact and enforce Shield Law 2.0, a policy to protect patients of reproductive and gender-affirming care from out-of-state investigation. The measure counters the Trump administration’s lawfare against providers. Over the summer, the U.S. Department of Justice subpoenaed sensitive medical records from more than 20 hospitals and practitioners offering gender-affirming care. Private institutions from California to Massachusetts have already folded under this pressure. We must strengthen our own shield.
As we look to the next state legislative session, leaders in Albany must redouble their commitment to trans wellness to serve the entire state. This is especially urgent upstate, where queer health care providers are sparse and new New Yorkers fleeing repressive environments are seeking care and community. State leaders can meet this moment by bolstering TWEF and dedicating funding to gender-affirming care, safeguarding us from federal efforts to weaponize health care resources.
At 1 a.m. on the final day of early voting, Mamdani made a surprise visit to a gay bar in Brooklyn. From behind the DJ booth, he again directly addressed queer New Yorkers, saying, “In a city where so much is about struggle, it’s so important to have a space for joy.”
His presence and his words spoke to the pain and the purpose of the trans experience, capturing the spirit of a community on the edge. On this Trans Day of Remembrance, we must honor those we have lost by channeling this momentum into progress and establishing our state as a true beacon for queer New Yorkers.
Williams is the executive director of the NEW Pride Agenda, New York’s leading LGBTQ advocacy organization.
