NYC mayoral candidate Zahron Mamdani vows to ‘expand and protect’ trans healthcare

The Democratic Party candidate for mayor of New York City has vowed to protect trans healthcare in the Big Apple.

Zohran Mamdani sent shockwaves through the establishment when he beat political veteran Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic Party primary on Tuesday night (24 June).

In his victory speech, after former state governor Cuomo conceded defeat, Mamdani, a self-proclaimed democratic socialist, said: “Tonight, we made history.” If elected, he would be the first Muslim and Indian American to lead the nation’s largest city.

A staunch progressive in every sense of the word, Mamdani ran on promises to improve economic and social welfare for the working class, tackle the cost of living by bringing down rent, and to help tackle climate change.

He is also a supporter of LGBTQ+ rights, especially those of transgender men and women, and has highlighted the discrimination they face in the US.

After 93 per cent of the votes were counted, Mamdani declared victory with 43.5 per cent, compared with Cuomo’s 36.4 per cent. He did particularly well in the borough of Brooklyn, as well as in Queens and Manhattan, according to figures in The New York Times.

Conceding the race, Cuomo described his rival as “really smart” and commended his “good and impactful campaign”, adding: “Tonight is his night. He deserved it. He won.”

Mamdani’s shock rise – Cuomo had consistently been ahead in the polls – was also commended by Brad Lander, a fellow progressive candidate who came third with 11.4 per cent of the vote.

In May, following a visit to the Trans Community Town Hall, Mamdani pledged to make New York a “sanctuary city” for LGBTQ+ people.

“Queer and trans people across the United States are facing an increasingly hostile political environment,” he wrote on Facebook. “New York City must be a refuge for LGBTQIA+ people but private institutions in our city have already started capitulating to [Donald Trump’s] assault on trans rights.”

Mamdani acknowledged that economic issues, such as the cost-of-living crisis, had hit the LGBTQ+ community “particularly hard,” and plans to tackle the higher rates of unemployment and homelessness the community faces.

He also vowed to expand and protect gender-affirming care, and ensure that “every New Yorker has access to the medical treatment they need”, promising to plow $65 million (more than £47 million) into public trans healthcare.

“With Trump threatening our city’s LGBTQ+ community every day, New Yorkers need a mayor unafraid to stand up for them,” he said.

He now faces Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa, unpopular incumbent former Democrat Eric Adams, who is now running as an independent, and another independent Jim Walden, in November.

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