CHARLI BATTERSBY | At the end of June’s Pride Month, the New York City Council adopted the upcoming budget for 2026. Among the $112 billion dollar budget are standard programs providing for the likes of parks and libraries, plus increased funding for food pantries. But careful observers will notice that the funding for “Trans Equity Programs” has doubled–6.4 million from last year’s 3.2. And there are other trans programs included in the budget under the umbrella of other LGBTQ+-specific funding.

On August 14, dozens of trans people and their supporters joined Council members on the steps of City Hall for a “Trans Joy” rally and press conference–held, said organizers, to celebrate “several historic budget wins for our transgender and broader LGBTQ+ communities: $13.75M for trans & queer lives; $3.5M for gender-affirming health care; $5M for LGBTQ+ & homeless youth; and $6.5M for trans equity.”

Transgender rights rallies often have an undercurrent of anger, resentment, and frustration. Trans people are familiar with condescending “allies,” insubstantial gestures of support, and LGBTQ+ initiatives that offer nothing for trans people. This time, there was genuine joy for those of us at the rally in person. Quantifiable progress could be seen in the new budget, some of it within new laws written and championed by heretofore unlikely allies.

The co-chairs of the LGBTQIA+ Caucus of the New York City Council, Tiffany Cabán and Erik Bottcher, announced the new array of trans initiatives in the city budget which amounted to $13.75 million. Speaking about legal advocacy work and legislation to help trans people, Bottcher noted, “We can do all of that. But if you don’t come through with the funding that the trans community needs, the support, then we’ve failed. And we weren’t going to let that happen.” 

Joining the event was a robust group of speakers, including NYC Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams, who recently authored two bills addressing trans healthcare, including 0628-A. As noted on a Council web page, it requires the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) to “design signs describing the rights of transgender patients, and to make such signs available to hospitals in the City. Such signs would include information on an individual’s right to be referred to by their preferred name, title, gender, and pronoun. This bill would also require DOHMH to coordinate with hospitals to identify the services offered by any such hospitals to meet the specific needs of transgender individuals, including gender-affirming health care, and would require DOHMH to provide guidance encouraging hospitals to post in a conspicuous location a list of any such services offered. DOHMH would also be required to post lists of such services and any updates on its website and on the 311 website.”

Williams was blunt about being a straight, cisgender ally, telling the crowd, “Truth of the matter is–and I try to be honest about my journey–ten years ago, I probably would not be the author of the two bills I’m authoring. And I try to be honest about that, so that people watching understand that you have to get on a journey that includes everyone… All of our protections, all of our safeties are interlinked.”

It’s rare to see such honesty from an ally. Most self-described allies were apathetic to trans issues right up to the moment that anti-discrimination laws went into effect. Williams owned up to something that most trans people could clearly see all along.

Also at the rally was City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, who assessed the federal government’s anti-trans policies and executive orders, noting. “We are reminded that progress is never guaranteed. It must be consistently defended and advanced, never retracted. As a city shaped and strengthened by our trans community, we will continue to lead in the fight for their rights and protections.”

Longtime trans advocate Melissa Sklarz, speaking near the end of the rally, schooled the relatively young group of activists. “Twenty five years ago,” Sklarz recalled, “there were a handful of people on these steps at City Hall telling them why trans lives matter, why ‘gay rights’ does not protect us. And they had no idea what we were talking about. Twenty years ago, a handful of went to Albany and explained to them who trans people are and why Gay Rights does not protect us. And it took twenty years. And now, today, we are here. We are the tip of the iceberg.”

Surveying the assembled, Sklarz observed, “No longer will trans people be on the outside looking in, be forced to yell outside these fences. They know who we are, what we need, who we want, and who is represented here. This 13.75 million dollars cannot solve our problems, but it’s a step in the right direction. We now have a seat at the table; a table that we helped to build. Then, going forth, we will make sure that we’re here, and there are more of us, and that we’re heard and we’re seen.”

After the rally, Chelsea Community News correspondent spoke to Council Member Cabán, about when the new laws were first proposed.

“The reality is that we’ve been advocating for lots of pieces of legislation in the budget for years,” she said, adding, “The unfortunate reality is that when there’s a crisis, like we see at the Federal government, it opens up more opportunities. Things that we’ve been pushing for, for years, we really were ready. Because we have been working on this for so long. We’re ready to jump in and say, ‘Now’s the time to put up or shut up.’ And that allowed us to take the trans package forward. That has allowed us to pass Jumaane Williams’ legislation today, and allowed us to secure that historic 13.75 million.”

But surely, this correspondent noted, there are some people who disapprove of their taxes being used for people out of the state or out of the country.

“People can disapprove,” said Cabán, “but at the end of the day this is about saving lives, and as citizens of a community, of a neighborhood, of a state, of a country, as citizens of the world, we really should be out here looking after each other. We all want the same things. We want to live healthy lives, we want to be able to love and enjoy our families, we want to be able to live in safety and dignity.”

Cabán noted how the notion of an individual’s tax dollars helping to support issues on their periphery is “not a new thing. We pay taxes for our public schools, no matter if you have a child or not, because we understand the value of access to public goods. And we also understand the value of widespread public health for everybody. It’s an investment in your life, too. Obviously it’s the right thing to do because we care about humanity, and are compassionate folks that just want to see each other be able to thrive. At the end of the day when you take care of folks on the margins, everybody benefits. And that’s a fact.”

This correspondent asked about what local government can do in reaction to the federal edict compelling the National Park Service to delete the “T” (and “Q”) from the Stonewall National Monument.  

“Again, first of all, Fuck ’em!” the Council Member declared. “Because they can take the T off anything that they want to take the T off of. The trans community is not going anywhere, and we’re all collectively going to make sure that we’re uplifting trans leadership. That we’re helping our trans siblings be more visible and more vocal. That we’re protecting them to do the leadership work that they need to, so that we’re collectively fighting these fights. So T there or not, our community is here, and we’re going to bring a big fight. We’ll see that T again, but it’s more important for us in this moment to make sure that our trans siblings are here, are around, and have everything they need to go out and create the changes and protections that we need.”

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