Mamdani Vows to Make New York a Trans Sanctuary City

admin By admin 2025 年 10 月 16 日

Mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani has pledged to make New York City a sanctuary city for transgender people.

As photos and video clips of Sylvia Rivera and other activists flash across the screen, Mamdani recounts Rivera’s legacy of activism—from her role in early gay and trans rights demonstrations to founding Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries, which provided food and shelter for homeless trans people, as well as her push for LGBTQ-inclusive non-discrimination laws.

Mamdani notes that Rivera endured cruelty even from within the LGBTQ community and struggled with homelessness and substance abuse throughout her life.

He then pivots to outline how he would defend and advocate for LGBTQ New Yorkers if elected mayor.

“Since taking office, Donald Trump has waged a scorched-earth campaign against trans people,” Mamdani says. “The man with the most power has expended enormous energy targeting those with the least. New York will not sit idly by while trans people are attacked. We will deploy hundreds of lawyers to combat Trump’s hate, make New York City an LGBTQIA+ sanctuary city, and create the office of LGBTQIA+ affairs to allocate millions for youth and adult housing programs as well as gender-affirming care.

“In a time of darkness, New York must be the light.”

Sanctuary cities allow transgender residents to access gender-affirming care and have their identities legally recognized without fear that local authorities will aid anti-trans investigations by officials from outside the city or state.

Trump has vowed to withhold federal funding from New York City if Mamdani wins the mayoral race, regardless of Mamdani’s stance on transgender rights. That threat makes Mamdani’s sanctuary-city pledge even more likely to provoke retribution from a president whose second administration has been defined by hostility toward LGBTQ visibility, diverse representation, and trans rights.

As transgender journalist Erin Reed noted on her *Erin in the Morning* Substack, Mamdani’s tribute to Rivera bucks a growing trend among politicians to attack or distance themselves from the transgender community.

In recent months, some centrist groups and political consultants have urged Democrats to avoid LGBTQ terms or issues altogether, fearing they might “alienate” voters uncomfortable with gender or sexual diversity.

“Mamdani’s ad stands in stark contrast to a growing trend among Democratic leaders who have pushed transgender people to the margins or abandoned them outright,” Reed writes.

Reed also points out that some Democrats have supported anti-trans provisions in Congress or echoed right-wing rhetoric about transgender athletes—even criticizing U.S. Rep. Sarah McBride (D-Del.) for taking a more cautious approach to trans issues to avoid getting ahead of public opinion.

“Clearly, this political principle of leading with your values is one that the Mamdani campaign has taken to heart,” Reed writes. “At a time when too many Democratic consultants are urging candidates to mimic Republican talking points, especially on transgender rights, Mamdani is showing the opposite path: one rooted in conviction, not calculation.”
https://www.metroweekly.com/2025/10/mamdani-nyc-trans-sanctuary-city/

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