At Start of Pride Month, Lander Endorsed by AM González-Rojas, CM Jimmy Van Bramer & Unveils Plan to Uplift NYC’s LGBTQ+ Community
Read the plan that’ll protect queer NYers from Trump’s threats, ensure NYC remains LGBTQ+ beacon across the globe; watch the recorded press conference; view the endorsement photos
NEW YORK, NY — Outside Stonewall Inn and at the beginning of Pride Month, Brad Lander was endorsed by two LGBTQ+ elected officials: Assembly Member Jessica González-Rojas and former City Councilmember Jimmy Van Bramer. Lander also released the most comprehensive plan in the mayor’s race to support and uplift the LGBTQ+ community, to combat the Trump Administration attempts to roll back LGBTQ+ protections and ensure New York City remains the beacon for LGBTQ+ rights across the globe.
“From the drag bars of the 1890s to the Stonewall uprising and beyond, New York City has been the frontline for safeguarding LGBTQ+ human rights and has long stood as a beacon for LGBTQ+ people across the world,” said Brad Lander. “However, today, LGBTQ+ New Yorkers are under threat—from rising hate, institutional failures, and a national right-wing movement intent on rolling back decades of progress. Under my mayoralty, New York will not just be a safe haven, but a national model for LGBTQ+ policies and inclusion.”
"Brad Lander is an honest and effective public servant who genuinely understands the needs of working families in New York City because he’s worked on the ground with us, building and preserving thousands of units of housing, advocating for our labor rights, since he was 25 years old,” said State Assemblymember Jessica González-Rojas. “This Pride Month, I’m proud to rank Brad atop my ballot because I’ve seen him unequivocally support and uplift the LGBTQ+ community as a consistent progressive advocate and legislator in his years in the City Council and City Comptroller’s office, and he will do so as Mayor.”
“As a queer New Yorker I know that Brad Lander will be a great Mayor for our community,” said Jimmy Van Bramer, Former Councilmember (2010-2021) & non-profit executive. “Brad’s plan is bold, setting forth a path to true equality and equity for Queer New Yorkers. Brad knows us and he gets us. His plan centers justice and equity for trans and queer people of color. I’ve seen Brad’s commitment to and love for the LGBTQ+ community up close and personal. He and Meg attended my wedding to my husband Dan shortly after marriage equality became law. Our health and safety, along with our equality aren’t mere academic exercises for Brad Lander. They are at the core of his public service and who he is as a person. Brad will be a great Mayor for LGBTQ+ New Yorkers.”
Despite more than a century of hard-won progress, LGBTQ+ New Yorkers continue to face deeply entrenched systemic barriers. Hate crimes have surged nearly 60% in the city from 2019 to 2023, with LGBTQ+ individuals making up 17% of victims, with trans and gay New Yorkers facing especially sharp increases in violence. Transgender and nonbinary youth are bearing the emotional toll, with 86% reporting negative mental health impacts from anti-trans rhetoric and two-thirds of trans students in NYC feeling hopeless or sad.
Additionally, The Trump administration has contributed to rising anti-LGBTQ+ sentiments through its executive actions, attacking gender-affirming care for young people and ending DEI initiatives aimed at supporting LGBTQ+ people.
As Mayor, Brad will protect LGBTQ+ New Yorkers and:
Invest in Safety, Services, and Culture: Brad will support the LGBTQ+ funding LGBTQ+ nonprofits, expanding affirming housing, tripling funding for the Trans Equity Initiative, doubling funding for LGBTQ+ suicide hotlines, uplift queer culture, strengthen safeguards against sexual harassment and discrimination in the work place, and governing alongside LGBTQ+ communities through co-governance structures and participatory budgeting in order to protect LGBTQ+ people in New York City and allow them to have agency and a voice in how they are governed.
Advance Inclusive, Gender-Affirming Healthcare: Brad will establish a City-run authority to protect access to abortion, contraception, and gender-affirming care from federal interference, fully fund HIV prevention services by expanding PEP and PrEP access, and strengthening the oversight of health care providers under the NYC Human Rights Law in order to give LGBTQ+ New Yorkers the healthcare they need.
Fight Hate and Protect LGBTQ+ Communities: Brad will fight against anti-LGBTQ+ hate, by fully funding, properly staffing, and strengthening the NYC Commission on Human Rights, ensuring LGBTQ+ representation in school curricula, preventing extremism, in order to prevent the all-too-common scourge of violence against LGBTQ+ people.
Brad has a long, consistent record of standing up for LGBTQ+ New Yorkers and confronting the threats posed by Trump-era policies. As a City Councilmember, he co-sponsored landmark legislation to ban conversion therapy, establish gender-neutral bathrooms, expand HIV & AIDS education, and require gender pronouns to be collected on city forms. The landmark Community Safety Act, which Lander co-sponsored along with Jumaane Williams, protected LGBTQ+ New Yorkers from profiling and bias-based policing. As Comptroller, Brad continued the fight for equality, creating a tool to track federally funded programs vulnerable to Trump’s cuts and convening leaders to plan NYC’s response. He also published Protecting New York City and NYC’s Federal Funding: Outlook Under Trump, outlining the risks to LGBTQ+ protections and social services under Project 2025.
“Brad Lander has always been an ally to the LGBTQ+ community. Doubt me? Well, check the receipts!” said LGBTQ comedian and talk-show host Lukas Thimm. “As a city council member and the city comptroller he protected LGBTQ+ people from police profiling, organized protests to fight Trump’s bigotry, and provided an annul resource guide for queer New Yorkers. As mayor, he will continue his record of getting sh*t done by funding LGBTQ+ non-profits, expanding affirming housing, and guaranteeing healthcare for transgender people. As the Trump administration continues to roll back LGBTQ+ rights, we need a mayor who has a history of standing up to Trump and the knowledge to achieve real results for our community.”
“Brad has been a champion for LGBTQ+ New Yorkers his entire career. It was a delight to talk to him at one of my home bars, Pieces, about what he will fight for as mayor. Brad will protect LGBTQ+ people, expand our equity and safety, and champion our queer joy and innate resistance. I’m proud to rank him on my ballot,” said drag queen Kiki Ball Change, who Lander filmed a video with last month.
“Brad Lander’s LGBTQ+ plan is exactly the kind of bold, compassionate leadership our communities need right now,” said Hassan Naveed, Former Executive Director for the Mayor's Office for the Prevention of Hate Crime. “It’s not just a vision—it’s a reflection of Brad’s years of standing with us, fighting for gender-affirming care, community safety, and real investment in our lives. As he runs for mayor, Brad is showing he’s ready to lead with courage and clarity, especially as LGBTQ+ rights come under attack by the federal government. This plan proves he’s not just an ally—he’s a champion.”
Read Standing Up for LGBTQ+ New Yorkers.
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