Socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani hosted a Pride event at Surrogates Court in Manhattan on Tuesday evening, touting his administration’s commitment to invest $15 million in taxpayer funds for transgender surgeries and treatments over the next two years. 

“City Hall will also not back down in the face of federal attacks against trans New Yorkers. The threats will continue and so will our relentless protection of trans people across this city,” Mamdani said. “As a first step, my administration has made a $15 million investment in gender affirming care over the next two years, and we will continue to use every tool at our disposal to ensure that trans and gender non-conforming New Yorkers can live with dignity, safety, and freedom they deserve.” 

Mamdani spoke on the $15 million investment during a June 2 interview with the Lehrer Show on WNYC, saying the funds would be used to “start to bridge the gap of the funding that has been stripped of this care.”

Trans-identified male journalist Erin Reed noted, “there are virtually no public details on what the $15 million funds, which agency controls it, which patients it serves, or when it will go into effect.”

Mamdani’s comments come as New York City is set to open a city-run clinic for trans-identified patients. However, the clinic will reportedly only serve adult patients over the age of 18. A spokesperson for the city’s health department told The Advocate that the clinic will be offering, among other services, “gender-affirming hormone therapy” at “no to low cost and regardless of immigration status.” 

City Health Commissioner Alister Martin said at a New York City Council budget hearing on Friday, “We are committed to this issue and want to make sure we provide the services and resources for youth.” He added, “we don’t [want to] expose ourselves to clawbacks from the federal government, which disrupt the rest of the care that we can give.”

Also speaking at Tuesday night’s event was Peppermint, a trans-identified male actor and former Ru Paul Drag Race star, who said, “I was going into this Pride season not quite sure what Pride was going to be like with this country the way it is, treating our community the way it does. And I was like, I don’t know if I’m going to pull it together. But you know what? June 1st hit and I’m like, ‘b*tch, we got to do this. We have to do this.”

“Regardless of the attacks, regardless of all the rhetoric and all of the lies and all of the misinformation, we are going to show them who we are as a community. We’re going to pull together and we’re definitely going to show them how New York City does it.”