New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is set to sign an executive order establishing the city’s first Mayor’s Office of LGBTQIA+ Affairs at the Brooklyn Community Pride Center in Crown Heights. 

 

The move coincides with the appointment of attorney Taylor Brown as the office’s inaugural director, making her the first transgender person to lead a New York City office or agency.

 

In a statement shared with Out and The Advocate, Mamdani said that the city “will refuse to deny healthcare, safety, or dignity to anyone on the basis of their identity. With Taylor Brown as Director of the new Office of LGBTQIA+ Affairs, the city's queer community will not only be celebrated, but protected at every turn.”

 

Brown also released a statement, noting her commitment to the role. “New York has given me everything, life-saving health care, education, a home, a career, my chosen family, and a life of purpose. I will work every day to ensure that the doors of New York City remain open to all and to continue New York City's legacy as a beacon of opportunity and hope for those who have been ignored, discriminated against, and intentionally excluded,” she said.

 

She added, “Thank you to Mayor Mamdani, Deputy Mayor Su, and Commissioner Attah-Mensah, whom I look forward to working alongside, for this extraordinary opportunity to serve the people of New York.”

 

Brown’s career has focused on advancing constitutional and statutory protections for transgender individuals, with an emphasis on healthcare access, prisoner rights, education, and employment. Before this appointment, she worked as an assistant attorney general in the Civil Rights Bureau of the New York State Attorney General's Office.

 

The Mayor's Office of LGBTQIA+ Affairs is intended to coordinate municipal resources and initiatives for LGBTQIA+ residents. The office will oversee equality guidelines, ensure other city agencies do not engage in discrimination based on gender, gender identity, or sexual orientation, and develop resources to uphold sanctuary protections for LGBTQIA+ individuals.