Today, Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani signed an executive order establishing the Mayor's Office of LGBTQIA+ Affairs and appointed Taylor Brown, currently an Assistant Attorney General in the Civil Rights Bureau of the New York State Attorney General, as its director.
With this appointment, Brown becomes the first transgender person to lead a City office or agency and the highest-ranking transgender person in the history of New York City government.
"New York City is proud of its LGBTQIA+ community and will refuse to deny healthcare, safety or dignity to anyone on the basis of their identity," said Mayor Zohran Mamdani. "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."
"New York has given me everything -- life-saving health care, education, a home, a career, my chosen family, and a life of purpose. I am so proud to serve this city as the inaugural Director of the Mayor's Office for LGBTQIA+ Affairs. 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," said Director Taylor Brown. "I look forward to working across agencies to ensure that we are protecting the LGBTQIA+ community from hostile actors that do not share New York City's values. 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."
"From housing insecurity to workplace discrimination to a lack of access to healthcare, the problems that LGBTQ+ New Yorkers face are not unique to their community, but they are felt disproportionately. Through an economic justice framework, we can ensure that LGBTQ+ New Yorkers can afford to stay in our city and enjoy all that it has to offer without having to hide any part of themselves. Taylor is an exceptional leader to take on this charge and I look forward to working closely with her to advance policies that support and defend the diverse queer communities in our city," said Deputy Mayor for Economic Justice Julie Su.
"I am proud to see Taylor Brown step into this important role serving New York City's LGBTQ+ community," said New York Attorney General Letitia James. "In her time at the Office of the Attorney General, Taylor has been a tireless champion for fairness, dignity, and equal justice under the law. New Yorkers will be well served by her leadership, and I look forward to her continued service ensuring every LGBTQ+ New Yorker is protected and celebrated."
"Over the past several years, through the NYC Unity Project, we worked to build the foundation and architecture for a more coordinated citywide approach to supporting LGBTQ+ New Yorkers," said Ronald Porcelli, Director of the NYC Unity Project. "By partnering with City agencies and community leaders, we helped align investments-from the LGBTQ+ Emergency Fund to Unity Grants-and establish the framework that ultimately made this new office possible. I'm proud to have helped advocate for and lay that groundwork alongside a number of extraordinary partners. I'm thrilled to see the work of the NYC Unity Project evolve with the launch of the Office of LGBTQ+ Affairs, and I'm grateful to see the new leadership take the helm and guide this new phase of growth. New York City has long been a place where LGBTQ+ communities can live openly and thrive, and I look forward to continuing to support that progress."
"As we are facing an unprecedented attack on the basic human rights of the entire LGBTQIA+ community-especially trans rights and trans people's, particularly trans youth's, access to health care-our NYC community deserves exactly this: A dedicated office, led by a dedicated civil rights advocate, Taylor Brown, and the first trans person to lead a city office," said Rabbi Abby Stein. "I am so proud of the work we did during the transition, as a member of the Health Committee, to help make this happen. I'm grateful to the Mayor and the whole team at the Mayor's Office for their continued commitment to supporting our community. As a lifelong New Yorker, trans activist, rabbi, and community organizer here in the city, I have never felt more hopeful about the future and the thriving of our queer community."
"LGBTQIA New Yorkers have sought to create a mayoral office to work with the community for many years, and I am so excited to finally see this idea come to fruition under the leadership of Mayor Mamdani," said Council Member Lynn Schulman. "The appointment of Taylor Brown as its first director - and the city's first transgender person to lead an office or agency - is brilliant and a meaningful milestone that reflects New York City's commitment to representation, inclusion, and equality. As a proud lesbian, and member of the NYC Council LGBTQIA caucus, this announcement represents an important recognition of the many contributions the LGBTQIA community makes to the fabric of our multicultural and diverse city."
"At a time when LGBTQIA+ people are facing widespread attacks, I am thrilled that New York City is stepping up to celebrate and defend our community by creating the Office of LGBTQIA+ Affairs," said Assembly Member Deborah Glick. "This new office will provide essential services for the LGBTQIA+ community and ensure that New York remains a haven for LGBTQIA+ people. Taylor Brown has spent her career fighting for the LGBTQIA+ community at both the ACLU and in the New York State Attorney General's office, and our city will be lucky to have her in our corner."
"Today's announcement is a powerful step forward for LGBTQIA+ representation and equality in our city," said Assembly Member Jessica González-Rojas. "I applaud Mayor Mamdani for establishing the Office of LGBTQIA+ Affairs and for appointing Taylor Brown to lead it. With this appointment, Taylor becomes the first transgender New Yorker to head a city office or agency-an important milestone that underscores why representation in government matters. As a longtime champion for LGBTQIA+ rights, I know that when our institutions reflect the diversity of our communities, we make stronger, more inclusive policy. I look forward to working together to advance equality and ensure every New Yorker feels seen, valued, and protected."
"The Ali Forney Center applauds the creation of the NYC Mayor's Office of LGBTIQA+ Affairs, an important step toward ensuring Transgender and LGBQIA New Yorkers are represented across city government. Meaningful interagency representation of transgender people is critical to developing policies that truly address the needs of our communities. As the nation's largest provider of housing and services for LGBTQ+ youth experiencing homelessness, we are eager to partner with this new office to strengthen coordination, expand resources, and ensure that the most vulnerable young people have the support they need to thrive," said Nadia Swanson, Director of Advocacy and Global Programs, The Ali Forney Center.
"The creation of the Mayor's Office for LGBTQIA+ Affairs is a historic moment for LGBTQIA+ New Yorkers, as well as the City as a whole, and I congratulate Director Taylor Brown on her appointment as the first transgender person to ever lead a NYC office," said Council Member Sandy Nurse, Chair of the NYC Council's Committee on Civil and Human Rights. "New York will always be a home for LGBTQIA+ people, and the establishment of this office makes me even more confident in our city's ability to be a sanctuary for those seeking safety and community, and to ensure all New Yorkers can thrive as their truest selves."
"Today's creation of the Mayor's Office of LGBTQIA+ Affairs is a vital step toward making our city safer and more livable for queer New Yorkers. I am thrilled that the mayor is enacting the proposals I put forward with the Council's LGBTQIA+ Caucus in the Pride in Policy agenda to meet the needs of our queer communities. Taylor Brown is a lifelong advocate and litigator for expanding LGBTQIA+ rights in this country and understands how queer liberation is inextricably intertwined with racial justice, healthcare access, and affordability. I look forward to working with her to make the LGBTQIA+ Caucus's full slate of policies come to fruition," said Council Member Tiffany Cabán.
"I'm thrilled that the Mayor has created this office. As the first openly queer legislator of color elected to state office, visibility in this area is important to me, and I thank the Mayor for his leadership here. Our community is under constant threat from the federal government, and the appointment of the city's first transgender person to lead an office or agency sends a message that our community matters, and that we are valued here," said State Senator Jabari Brisport.
"At a time when we are under attack for simply existing, and our history is being erased, today's announcement is an important step for New York City," said Assembly Member Tony Simone. "I am grateful to Mayor Mamdani for creating the Mayor's Office of LGBTQIA+ Affairs and for appointing the incredible Taylor Brown to lead it. When our flags are torn down, medically necessary care stripped away, the LGBTQIA+ community needs a fighter with Taylor's experience in civil rights and public service, including work with the City Council and deep roots in the community to ensure New York City remains a place where everyone, regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation, is welcomed, protected, and supported."
About the Mayor's Office of LGBTQIA+ Affairs
The Office of LGBTQIA+ Affairs will oversee and coordinate implementation of initiatives across city agencies that serve LGBTQIA+ New Yorkers. These initiatives include:
- Assisting agencies in developing and supporting liaisons to the LGBTQIA+ community
- Advancing measures to ensure agencies do not engage in discrimination based on gender, gender identity, or sexual orientation
- Developing legal resources to ensure the City's sanctuary protections for LGBTQIA+ individuals are upheld
- Providing support for LGBTQIA+ people and their families fleeing anti-LGBTQIA+ oppression
The Office will absorb and expand upon the NYC Unity Project, which launched in September 2017 as the City's first initiative focused on delivering and coordinating affirming services for LGBTQIA+ New Yorkers.
About Director Taylor Brown
Taylor Brown serves as an Assistant Attorney General in the Civil Rights Bureau at the Office of the New York State Attorney General. Brown's work includes cases addressing unlawful discrimination against transgender people in public accommodations and housing, disparities in race- and disability-based discipline in public schools, and challenges to federal actions undermining civil rights protections.
Before joining the Attorney General's Office, Brown spent nearly seven years at Lambda Legal Defense & Education Fund and the national office of the American Civil Liberties Union's LGBTQ+ & HIV Project. There, Brown led impact litigation across the country advancing constitutional and statutory protections for transgender people, focusing on health care access, education and employment.
Brown is a first-generation graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law.
