BY: DM
Published 2 hours ago
The New York City political scene is heating up thanks to Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani. Mamdani isn’t afraid to speak his truth — and he sure isn’t afraid to fight for others either. The Queens-based Democratic socialist has made it loud and clear — LGBTQIA+ liberation is non-negotiable.
Mamdani is undoubtedly shaking up the political game. He was born in Kampala, Uganda, and raised in New York City from age seven. The politician attended Bronx High School of Science and Maine’s Bowdoin College, where he majored in Africana Studies. He obtained citizenship in 2018 and jumped headfirst into housing justice, working as a foreclosure prevention counselor in Queens.
In 2021, Mamdani was elected to represent Astoria’s 36th Assembly District. He didn’t just sit at the table — he built it. Leading hunger strikes for taxi medallion debt relief scored $450 million in debt cuts, boosting transit funding, and stopping a fracked-gas power plant in Astoria.
From the jump, Mamdani has stood shoulder to shoulder with queer and trans communities, especially in his diverse district of Astoria. Let’s take a look at his views on the LGBTQIA+ community and his plans to make the city safer for all.
Zohran Mamdani is unapologetically for the gays.
Mamdani doesn’t just post rainbow graphics during Pride Month — he puts in real policy work. On June 29, he strolled down Christopher Street at New York Pride, posting on Instagram that it was “a joy to march” in the city’s annual parade. Mamdani’s team also says his administration would “expand and protect” gender-affirming care for all residents and invest $65 million to fund public trans healthcare programs, according to LGBTQ Nation. He has also called for an official “Office of LGBTQIA+ Affairs” and vows to formally make New York a sanctuary city for LGBTQIA+ people.
“With Trump threatening our city’s LGBTQIA+ community, New Yorkers need a mayor unafraid to stand up for them,” Mamdani exclaimed.
But Mamdani’s support doesn’t stop with verbal promises. In May, he visited a Trans Community Town Hall and pledged to make NYC a “sanctuary city” for LGBTQIA+ residents. He warned about the attacks on trans rights under the Donald Trump administration. “Queer and trans people across the United States are facing an increasingly hostile political environment,” Mamdani emphasized. “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.”
Before entering the mayoral race, Zohran Mamdani supported the LGBTQIA+ community.
Mamdani has always supported the LGBTQIA+ community. As a state legislator, he has voted for and/or co-sponsored a string of pro-LGBTQIA+ bills in the New York Assembly. He also backed a constitutional amendment to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity, VoteSmart reports.
Additionally, Mamdani supported a law allowing New Yorkers to update their IDs via self-attestation of gender and voted to require utilities to honor customers’ preferred names and pronouns.
The Democratic field is nearly unanimous in promising strong LGBTQIA+ protections, especially with candidates like Mamdani. The most striking contrast is between Mamdani — who emphasizes sanctuary, expanded trans healthcare and an office for queer affairs — and the city’s Republican/independent candidates, who offer little in the way of LGBTQIA+-specific plans.
It’s evident that Mamdani is all for making NYC the best it can be, and for all residents to feel safe and secure. So, it’s no surprise he has earned support from NYC’s LGBTQIA+ community.
Mamdani wants to make NYC a sanctuary city for LGBTQIA+ folks. What would that look like in practice, and do you think it’s possible?
