Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic candidate for mayor of New York, joined the New York Pride march over the weekend.

Having recently shocked the establishment by winning the Democratic primary, Mamdani wrote on Instagram, alongside pictures of himself with activists holding trans and Pride flags, that it was “a joy” to march on Sunday (29 June).

A self-described progressive and democratic socialist, Mamdani has long been an ally of the LGBTQ+ community.

The candidate won the Democratic race on 24 June, beating political veteran and former governor Andrew Cuomo.

He now faces Republican nominee, Curtis Sliwa, as well as incumbent Eric Adams, now running as an independent, for the mayoral position in November. If elected, Mamdani will become the first Muslim and Indian American to lead the nation’s largest city. The Guardian reported last week that Cuomo was looking at ways to stay in the race.

In the lead-up to the vote, Mamdani vowed to turn the Big Apple into a “sanctuary city” for LGBTQ+ people.

In what he described as an “increasingly hostile political environment” for LGBTQ+ people, he promised policies to protect gender-affirming care for transgender youngsters and acknowledged the particular economic hardships queer residents faced.

“With Trump threatening our city’s LGBTQ+ community every day, New Yorkers need a mayor unafraid to stand up for them,” he said.

Mamdani’s plans to improve economic and social welfare and to tackle the cost of living crisis by bringing down rent prices.

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