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To kick off Pride Month, Mayor Zohran Mamdani and the New York City Commission on Human Rights announced the launch of a public awareness campaign dedicated to the safety of transgender and gender-nonconforming people.
In partnership with the newly established Office of LGBTQIA+ Affairs as well as the Department of Mental Health and Hygiene, the “Trans Rights Are Human Rights” campaign will highlight existing protections for trans and gender-nonconforming New Yorkers covered by the city’s Human Rights Law. Throughout June, informational graphics and banners designed by artist Dez Stavracos will be displayed on public transit, paper advertisements, and electric kiosks across the city, outlining the rights to which trans New Yorkers are already entitled.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks to supporters during the 100-day address at the Knockdown Center in Maspeth, Queens, New York, on April 12, 2026. The mayor formally celebrates his 100th day in office. (Photo by Matthew Hoen/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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Currently, the New York City Human Rights Law protects trans and gender non-conforming people’s right to be addressed by the correct name, be gendered correctly, express their gender freely, and use facilities such as restrooms, locker rooms, and saunas that correspond with their gender. The law also prohibits housing, employment, and public space discrimination based on someone’s gender identity or expression, as well as gender-based bias, harassment, and retaliation from law enforcement.
“At a time when the federal government is fueling attacks on trans people across this country, New York City is making something clear: We will protect your rights, defend your humanity and stand beside you without hesitation,” Mamdani said in a press release Monday. “Every trans and gender non-conforming New Yorker needs to know that the law is on their side — whether in their workplace, their housing, or in public spaces.”
The campaign comes after a particularly difficult spring for trans people across the United States. Since President Donald Trump took office for his second term last spring, his administration — in tandem with conservative state legislatures — have only ramped up their attacks on trans people, from passing anti-trans laws to threatening federal funding cuts to private institutions like hospitals that do not comply with Trump’s anti-trans directives. In addition to these legislative and policy-based attacks, the trans community is reeling from a recent upswing in violent killings this spring, as at least seven trans people were killed in March, April, and May alone, including Eryka Caldwell, a trans woman fatally stabbed in her Bushwick, Brooklyn apartment on May 17.
While New York City has some of the most robust protections for trans people in the country, trans New Yorkers have still felt the reverberations. In February 2026, hospital giant NYU Langone Health announced it would shutter its program providing gender-affirming care to minors, citing the “current regulatory environment.” The hospital system was also criminally subpoenaed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the North District of Texas, calling for the names of trans minors who had received gender-affirming care from NYU Langone between 2020 and 2026. Advocates and allies have urged Langone not to comply with the subpoena.
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Courtesy of NYC
Reported gender discrimination rates have reached a five-year high, according to the Mayor’s office, accounting for nearly 20% of the claims filed with the New York City Commission on Human Rights. The new campaign is geared towards showing trans and gender non-conforming New Yorkers that, even under the current presidential administration, they are entitled to legal protections in New York City.
“Attacks on transgender and gender nonconforming New Yorkers coming from the federal government do not stop at the federal level – they can shape how people are treated in housing, work, and public spaces across our city,” Christine Clarke, Commissioner and Chair of the New York City Commission on Human Rights, says. “When New Yorkers are directly targeted, we have a responsibility to step in, and the Commission is responding by making protections clear and visible across all five boroughs.”
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