The City Council earmarked $7 million for “trans equity” programs and drag story hours as part of the massive $126 billion spending plan approved Tuesday.
The taxpayer money will go to programs and services “to help empower the transgender and gender non-conforming (TGNC) community,” the council members wrote in the adopted expense budget, which was approved by Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
The spending was OK’d by the Democrat-dominated council on the same day the US Supreme Court upheld red state bans preventing transgender athletes from competing against biological girls in competitive sports.
“Funding may support education programs, employment services, workforce development, healthcare navigation, legal guidance, community workshops, or academic research, among others,” the council said.
But critics questioned the use of taxpayer dollars to promote transgenderism while basic services got short shrift, with Mamdani falling short of a pledge to hire 580 more cops.
“Why isn’t there more money for police?” state Conservative Party Chairman Gerard Kassar said.
The Dyker Heights resident noted one person was killed in his neighborhood during gang violence last weekend.
“There are countless dollars going toward extreme, far-out programs,” Kassar said. “This goes way beyond recognizing transgender individuals into spending millions of taxpayer dollars to promote transgenderism.”
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, who is running as the Republican gubernatorial candidate, slammed the earmarks as a waste of taxpayer dollars and said it was another reason to elect him governor over Democratic rival Gov. Kathy Hochul in November.
“Only in Kathy Hochul’s New York are your hard-earned tax dollars funding drag queen story hours instead of new police officers, roads, and schools,” Blakeman said. “It’s a slap in the face to every New Yorker who goes to work every day to provide for their family, and it ends when I’m governor.”
Blakeman imposed a law barring transgender athletes from competing against biological girls in sports at Nassau County facilities. The governor isn’t required to sign off on City Council spending.
The $6.45 million in outlays for “trans equity” programs includes:
- $1 million to Destiny Tomorrow, an LGBT group in the Bronx that just announced the “first-ever transitional housing program for transgender New Yorkers.”
- $705,000 to Gay Men’s Health Crisis
- $600,000 to Advocates for Trans Equality Education Fund
- $600,000 to the Caribbean Equality Project
- $500,000 to Trans Formative Schools, Inc.
- $440,000 to Translatina Network, Inc
- $350,000 to the Fund for The City of New York
- $320,000 to Pride Center of Staten Island
- $305,000 to Lesbian and Gay Community Services Center
- $280,000 to Community Health Project
- $275,000 to Services And Advocacy For Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual And Transgender Elders, Inc.
- $250,000 to Parents of Lesbians and Gay Men
- $200,000 to Visiting Nurse Service of New York Home Care II, Gender Affirmation Program
- $200,000 to Make The Road New York
- $150,000 Gays and Lesbians living in a Transgender Society
- $150,000 to the New York Transgender Advocacy Group
- $105,000 to Transit Equity Health Care/Planned Parenthood
Meanwhile, another $40,000 is earmarked for “drag story hour,” allowing drag queens or cross-dressers to read to students in schools and libraries to promote tolerance for gender diversity.
Council Speaker Julie Menin dedicated $10,000 for the drag story hour program in her district and six other council representatives set aside $5,000 apiece: Shaun Abreu, Tiffany Caban, Julie Won, Shahana Hanif, Gale Brewer and Crystal Hudson.
One veteran LGBT advocate applauded the council funding for transgender programming, deeming it essential.
“Transgender youth need our support. These individuals are the most vulnerable people out there,” said Allen Roskoff, head of the Jim Owles Liberal LGBT Democratic Club.
“We will do everything in our power to protect these children from hate orchestrated by far right Republicans. We are going to see to it they get the health care and protection they deserve.”
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