New York City’s mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani has made a series of LGBTQ+ pledges. (Getty)
New York City’s mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani has made a series of LGBTQ+ pledges. (Getty)
New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani swept to victory on a pro-LGBTQ+, socialist platform. But what, exactly, are his policies for the LGBTQ+ community in the Big Apple?
Mamdani’s historic win in New York City on 4 November made made him the city’s first Muslim mayor and the youngest since 1892.
The victory saw the 34-year-old juggernaut of leftist politics secure more than 50 per cent of the vote and see off competition from Democrat-turned-independent candidate and former NYC governor Andrew Cuomo, who received just 41 per cent of the vote following a campaign marred by sexuality assault allegations.
Mamdani centred his campaign on pledges to make New York more affordable through free public transportation, subsidised childcare, city-run grocery stores, and rent freezes. Alongside this, he is seeking to solidify LGBTQ+ rights in the city amid on-going attacks by the Trump administration. Making good on this, Mamdani pledged to protect trans New Yorkers immediately after his win.
Mamdani’s unapologetic LGBTQ+ allyship clearly connected with the majority of queer New Yorkers, with exit poll data revealing around 81 per cent of LGBTQ+ New Yorkers voted for Mamdani, whilst just 15 per cent placed their vote in Cuomo’s camp.
Mamdani has made it clear he backs the queer community, but what are his specific policies?
On his official website, a summary of Mamdani’s commitments to the LGBTQ+ community reads: “Queer and trans people across the United States are facing an increasingly hostile political environment. New York City must be a refuge for LGBTQIA+ people, but private institutions in our own city have already started capitulating to Trump’s assault on trans rights.
“Meanwhile, the cost of living crisis confronting working class people across the city hits the LGBTQIA+ community particularly hard, with higher rates of unemployment and homelessness than the rest of the city.
Zohran Mamdani in front of a crowd of supporters. (Getty)
“The Mamdani administration will protect LGBTQIA+ New Yorkers by expanding and protecting gender-affirming care citywide, making NYC an LGBTQIA+ sanctuary city, and creating the Office of LGBTQIA+ Affairs.”
Expand and Protect Gender Affirming Care Citywide
One of Mamdani’s main policies is to protect access to gender-affirming care in New York City, amid attacks by the Trump administration across the US.
Since Trump returned to office for a second term in January 2025, his administration has sought to prevent access to gender-affirming care – particularly for trans youth – as part of wider attacks on the trans community.
47th US President Donald Trump. (Getty)
Since his inauguration, Trump has signed a raft of anti-trans executive orders including proclaiming that the official policy of the US is that there are “only two sexes”, banning transgender people from serving in the military, barring trans women from female sport and restricting gender-affirming healthcare for trans youngsters under the age 19. He has also moved to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion programmes across the government and in the military.
Currently, there are 27 states which have banned gender-affirming care for young trans people, with data from the Human Rights Campaign suggesting 40.1 per cent – around 120,400 – of trans youth aged 13-17 are living in the states which have passed bans on gender-affirming care.
“The Mamdani administration will protect gender-affirming care immediately by investing $65 million in public providers to provide gender-affirming care to New Yorkers who seek it and will hold private entities abetting Trump’s attacks to account,” the promise reads.
Zohran Mamdani at NYC Pride 2025. (Getty)
Within this, $57 million will be directed to public hospitals, community clinics, federally qualified health centers, and nonprofits, while the remaining $8 million will be used to add gender-affirming care to New York Health+Hospitals VirtualCare, provide aftercare, home health support, and respite housing and create a gender-affirming care Access Hub, amongst other endeavours.
“The Mamdani administration will also hold private hospital systems denying GAC accountable — hospitals that continue to deny trans youth access to gender affirming care are in violation of NYS Constitution, as well as multiple state and city laws,” the section concludes. “The Mamdani administration will coordinate with the NYS Attorney General and District Attorneys to investigate and hold public hearings on hospitals that deny trans youth their rightful healthcare and hold them accountable to the law.”
Make NYC an LGBTQIA+ Sanctuary City
Mamdani goes on to outline that his administration will be committed to protecting all queer people in the city, “from those who have been lifelong residents to those who have just arrived here in search of a place where they can receive medical care and live and thrive without the threat of persecution and bigotry”.
These principles will be codified by making New York City an ‘LGBTQIA+ sanctuary city’.
Zohran Mamdani. (Getty)
In recent years, several cities right across the US have become sanctuary cities to ensure their LGBTQ+ residents are protected. This includes Lake Worth Beach in Florida, Worcester in Massachusetts and California’s capital Sacramento.
Create the NYC Office of LGBTQIA+ Affairs
Mamdani will also create the Office of LGBTQIA+ Affairs, a office specifically centred on implementing LGBTQ+ focused initiatives across the city’s various agencies, community outreach and education projects.
The reason for this? LGBTQ+ New Yorkers make up around 15 percent of the city’s population, “they intersect and enrich every community in NYC, yet they have unique needs that are underfunded and unaddressed,” Mamdani’s policy reads.
“LGBTQIA+ New Yorkers need to be represented in all aspects of our city. While the Adams administration stripped the funding for the Unity Project, leaving one person to manage all LGBTQIA+ city programs, the Mamdani administration will create an Office of LGBTQIA+ Affairs.”