The City Council’s LGBTQIA+ Caucus, made up of six out lawmakers, has hired an executive director to elevate constituent concerns and better serve New York City’s queer community.
Yanery Cruz, an Afro-Latina trans woman who previously worked with the New York Transgender Advocacy Group (NYTAG) and has significant experience working in the LGBTQ community in New York City, was hired to serve as the executive director — a role she says will allow her to hear directly from the community about their needs on a range of issues, including gender-affirming care and immigration.
The new position, which is being announced by the City Council on April 9, comes less than a month after Mayor Zohran Mamdani officially rolled out the new Mayor’s Office of LGBTQIA+ Affairs and introduced its new executive director, Taylor Brown.
Cruz spoke to Gay City News in a phone interview on April 8, which was her first day on the new job. In her new role, Cruz stressed that she would not operate in a “silo” — and, in fact, after speaking with Gay City News, she said she planned on reaching out to the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQIA+ Affairs to get in touch with Brown.
“The City Council and mayor’s office will be working very closely with one another when addressing the concerns of LGBTQIA+ constituents,” Cruz said.
Cruz said the LGBTQIA+ Caucus has been “doing amazing work” over the years, but with “very limited resources,” and she hopes to make a difference on those fronts as she steps into her role.
Pointing to the diverse needs of queer New Yorkers, Cruz offered a reminder that the LGBTQ community intersects with communities of immigrants, disabled individuals, and people of all races and religions.
“We want to hear their concerns and bring [those concerns] to the caucus and members, but also to the speaker,” Cruz said, including issues such as how the city can better execute its protections for its residents.
While the role focuses on the work of the LGBTQIA+ Caucus, Cruz said she is primarily working in the Office of Speaker Julie Menin.
Cruz said her previous community work has equipped her with the knowledge and experience necessary for this role.
“At NYTAG, I got to learn a lot about policy and how to work with stakeholders,” Cruz said. “And now, being at this level where I’m next door to stakeholders and able to speak directly with LGBTQIA+ Caucus members and the speaker’s staff, we’re able to bring those concerns to those grassroots organizations.”
Grassroots organizations, she said, are often overlooked, and she hopes to hear from them because they are the ones “that are really on the ground having these conversations with our community.”
Among the most pressing issues facing LGBTQ New Yorkers is the availability of gender-affirming care at a time when some private hospitals, including NYU Langone and Mount Sinai, have restricted care for trans youth and some adults.
“Right now, we’re in budget season, so we’re looking at where can we assist for gender-affirming care for youth,” Cruz said.
Cruz further noted that she is planning a meeting with some community leaders to see how to address gaps on other LGBTQ issues.
“One of the conversations that is a little nuanced, but I’m trying to bring to this new role, is how can we support undocumented LGBTQ community members,” Cruz said, emphasizing the deteriorating landscape for immigrants under the Trump administration. “They sit in this delicate intersection where people immigrated over to this country for better quality of life, to be living free without prejudice, and now are encountering an administration that doesn’t see their worth. I want to see how this caucus can step up more for immigrants.”
The six lawmakers who make up the City Council’s LGBTQIA+ Caucus represent four of the city’s five boroughs, with the exception of Manhattan. Councilmembers Chi Ossé of Brooklyn and Justin Sanchez of the Bronx became co-chairs of the caucus earlier this year following the departure of former Councilmember Erik Bottcher, who is now a state senator.
“The work to ensure local government remains a bulwark for queer and trans people will only grow stronger with Yanery Cruz as executive director,” Ossé told Gay City News in a written statement. “As co-chair of the New York City Council’s LGBTQIA+ Caucus, I look forward to working alongside Yanery to ensure our communities are supported and protected in every corner of this city. At a moment like this, that work carries even greater urgency. While the federal government wages a war on the right for queer and trans people to live freely, the responsibility falls on cities like ours to lead. Yanery’s appointment is an investment in the future LGBTQIA+ New Yorkers deserve.”
