New York State Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, a Democratic Socialist and newly minted winner of the NYC Democratic mayoral primary, has proposed a $65 million taxpayer-funded plan to expand sex change drugs and surgeries across the city. His campaign platform details sweeping financial support for what he calls “gender-affirming care,” a term broadly encompassing irreversible procedures and hormone treatments for both minors and adults.
According to Mamdani’s official campaign site, his administration would allocate $57 million of the proposed budget to city hospitals, community clinics, and nonprofits providing sex change services. An additional portion would fund “gender-affirming telehealth” and enforcement actions against medical institutions that decline to participate.
The candidate also vows to investigate hospitals that “deny trans youth their rightful healthcare” and to hold public hearings aimed at punishing such entities. His proposal states that New York must become a “sanctuary city” for LGBTQ+ individuals, complete with a new city agency: the “NYC Office of LGBTQIA+ Affairs.”
These announcements follow a major federal legal development. Earlier this month, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld Tennessee’s law banning sex changes for minors, affirming states’ rights to protect children from life-altering medical interventions. Mamdani’s plan directly contradicts this ruling by pushing taxpayer funding for such treatments even for underage residents.
Gender-affirming procedures often include double mastectomies, chemical hormone suppression, genital mutilation, and lifelong dependency on synthetic hormones. Critics argue these measures pose irreversible risks to physical and mental health, especially when applied to minors who cannot legally consent to other medical procedures.
Mamdani’s agenda frames these initiatives as a response to what he calls “Trump’s attacks” on transgender care. His campaign positions New York City as a national leader in defiance of federal limitations and conservative state policies.
Incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, previously elected as a Democrat, is now running as an independent. Mamdani edged out former Governor Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary, setting up a stark ideological contest for the city’s top office.
