‘We are so proud’: Zohran Mamdani frames New York as a Pride ‘haven’ under Trump
Zohran Mamdani hosted his inaugural Pride Reception (Image: Getty Images)
New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani used his administration’s inaugural Pride Month celebration to pledge protection for trans and queer New Yorkers amid what he described as relentless federal attacks under President Donald Trump, in an interview with The Advocate.
Mamdani invited several hundred people to a New York City courthouse in lower Manhattan on Tuesday evening. “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.”
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.
Pride event at a Manhattan courthouse
The celebration mixed politicians, activists, actors and drag artists, with speakers repeatedly returning to the need for organising as anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment grows nationally.
Peppermint, the actress and drag artist serving as NYC Pride grand marshal this year, told the crowd: “Regardless of all of the rhetoric and all of the lies and all of the misinformation, we are going to show them who we are as a community.” She added: “We’re definitely going to show them how New York City does it.”
Taylor Brown, a lawyer and director of the new Office of LGBTQIA+ Affairs, said support also means focusing on day-to-day stability. “Those are the things that people need, especially LGBTQIA+ people,” Brown said, referring to priorities such as affordability, housing, education and health care. “Those are the things that people need to truly live a self-sustaining, meaningful, and happy life. That’s what I want for everyone.”
What Mamdani says NYC is doing
Mamdani’s rise has been closely watched nationally as part of a broader generational shift in US urban politics. Threats from the Trump administration have reportedly led major New York City health providers to shutter gender-affirming care programmes for youth, and Mount Sinai Health System has reportedly agreed to hand over sensitive records concerning trans patients to the federal government. Mamdani has also drawn attention over the planned clinic’s age scope, with the city’s new transgender care clinic set to serve adults.
