The New York City Council has earmarked $7 million for transgender equity programs and drag story hours as part of its $126 billion spending plan. The funding, approved Tuesday, is designated for services aimed at empowering the transgender and gender non-conforming community, including education, employment, healthcare navigation, and legal guidance.
This allocation comes as the City Council, dominated by Democrats, approved the budget. Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who has previously been seen at Pride events holding a transgender flag, approved the spending plan. The budget includes $6.45 million for various transgender equity initiatives and $40,000 specifically for drag story hour events, which feature drag queens reading to children in schools and libraries to promote gender diversity.
Recipient organizations for the trans equity funds include Destiny Tomorrow, which is launching a transitional housing program for transgender New Yorkers, Gay Men’s Health Crisis, Advocates for Trans Equality Education Fund, and the Caribbean Equality Project, among others. Several council members, including Speaker Julie Menin, have allocated specific amounts from their districts to support the drag story hour program.
Critics have raised concerns about the allocation of taxpayer dollars. State Conservative Party Chairman Gerard Kassar questioned the funding, particularly in light of what he described as shortfalls in basic services, including a missed pledge by Mayor Mamdani to hire 580 additional police officers. "There are countless dollars going toward extreme, far-out programs," Kassar stated. "This goes way beyond recognizing transgender individuals into spending millions of taxpayer dollars to promote transgenderism."
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, a Republican gubernatorial candidate, also criticized the earmarks, calling them a waste of taxpayer money and linking it to the upcoming gubernatorial race. "Only in Kathy Hochul’s New York are your hard-earned tax dollars funding drag queen story hours instead of new police officers, roads, and schools," Blakeman said, vowing to change such priorities if elected governor. Blakeman has previously implemented a law in Nassau County barring transgender athletes from competing against biological girls in sports.
Conversely, some LGBT advocates have supported the funding. Allen Roskoff, head of the Jim Owles Liberal LGBT Democratic Club, described the transgender programming as essential for supporting vulnerable youth and protecting them from what he termed "hate orchestrated by far right Republicans."
The City Council's spending decisions are independent of the governor's approval. The approved budget marks a significant financial plan for the city, with these specific allocations drawing both praise and criticism.