Members of the City Council’s LGBTQIA+ Caucus, joined by non-profit leaders and activists, rallied on the steps of City Hall on June 25 to outline funding priorities for the LGBTQ community before the finalization of the 2027 city budget.
The LGBTQIA+ Caucus is calling on the city to steer funding to the LGBTQIA+ Immigrant Legal Services Fund to support queer immigrants amid fears of detention, deportation, and the loss of legal protections; baseline funding for the youth gender-affirming care fund at a time when multiple providers across the city have restricted care for trans youth; and expand the Trans Equity Fund to support trans New Yorkers in the face of discrimination, housing instability, and economic hardship. Advocates seek to increase both the immigrant legal services fund and youth gender-affirming care fund to $15 million. They also seek $10 million for the trans equity fund.
Councilmembers Tiffany Cabán of Queens, Carl Wilson of Manhattan, and Justin Sanchez of the Bronx — who co-chairs the LGBTQIA+ Caucus — were among city lawmakers on hand for the rally.
“LGBTQIA+ immigrants are among the most vulnerable people in the world,” Sanchez said. “Many come to New York after fleeting persecution because they know our city has long been a beacon of hope and the birthplace of the modern queer liberation movement. We have a responsibility to meet that hope with action by investing in legal services that protect due process and ensure people can live safely, openly, and with dignity.”
Among the many advocates on hand included Mateo Guerrero, the trans justice and leadership program manager at Make the Road New York; Nadia Swanson, who directs Ali Forney Center’s advocacy and global programs; Tabytha Gonzalez, who is the director of policy and advocacy at Destination Tomorrow; Clark Wolff Hamel, the executive director of PFLAG; Javannah Davis, the president and founder of Wave Women Incorporated; activist Lorelei Crean; Caribbean Equality Project executive director Mohamed Q. Amin; and Yanery Cruz, the executive director of the LGBTQIA+ Caucus.
