New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani honored trailblazing Hispanic transgender activist Sylvia Rivera in a new campaign ad in which he pledged to “deploy hundreds of lawyers” to fight Donald Trump’s anti-trans attacks and make New York City a sanctuary city for trans people.

“It was here on the physical margins of our city that they found a home,” Mamdani said of Rivera in the ad. “She arrived here at the age of 11, where she immediately landed in the center of the gay rights movement. She befriended the legendary Marsha P Johnson, protested at Stonewall, and led marches for equality. But even among the queer community, trans New Yorkers were excluded. Rivera and others were discouraged from walking in Pride, their participation erased from Stonewall history.”

Related

11 Hispanic people who had an impact on LGBTQ rights in America that you may not know

Mamdani noted that the “cruelty” Rivera faced caused her to develop a substance abuse problem and face homelessness, stating, “When she had nowhere left to turn, she would sleep here [upon the Christopher Street Piers], waves lapping nearby.”

Indeed, Rivera’s one-room dwelling on the pier had a floor mattress, a dresser, and a small side table with a candle burning “for the saints,” LGBTQ Nation reported last year. With no heat, electricity, or running water, her dwelling’s walls were made of tarps and linens roped onto concrete slabs, pallets, bookshelves, and discarded doors. Outside was an open-air living room with covered couches and a weather-worn wicker coffee table. In nearby cabinets, Rivera stored jugs filled with fire hydrant water for “whore baths.”

Insights for the LGBTQ+ community

Subscribe to our briefing for insights into how politics impacts the LGBTQ+ community and more.
Subscribe to our Newsletter today

“Yet no matter what hardships she faced, Sylvia Rivera advocated for others,” Mamdani said.

He noted that Rivera co-founded Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR), an organization that helped feed and house trans youth. Rivera continued advocating for these same communities and pushing for trans inclusion in city and statewide non-discrimination bills up to her final days. Mamdani’s ad also included footage from Rivera’s iconic 1973 Gay Pride Rally speech in which she scolded transphobic gays and lesbians while passionately speaking out for trans-allyship.

Near the end of his two-minute video honoring Rivera’s activism, Mamdani said, “Since taking office, Donald Trump has waged a scorched-earth campaign against trans people. The man with the most power has expended enormous energy targeting those with the least.”

“New York will not sit idly by while trans people are attacked,” he continued. “We will deploy hundreds of lawyers to combat Trump’s hate, make New York City an LGBTQIA+ sanctuary city, and create the office of LGBTQIA+ affairs to allocate millions for youth and adult housing programs as well as gender-affirming care.”

Sanctuary cities often offer trans residents a place where they can pursue gender-affirming care and enjoy municipal recognition of their gender identities without fear of city officials assisting anti-trans investigations from out-of-town transphobic government officials.

“We can’t bring Sylvia back, but we can honor her memory by building a city where trans New Yorkers are cherished,” Mamdani concluded. “In a time of darkness, New York must be the light.”

Trump’s attacks against trans people include a complete denial of their federal legal rights and persecution of schools and organizations with trans-inclusive policies. He has directed the National Park Service to erase all mention of trans people from the Stonewall National Monument, though New Yorkers have responded by protesting and planting trans flags at the memorial.

While Mamdani is largely favored to win the city’s mayoral race, Trump has pledged to withhold federal funding from the city if Mamdani wins.

“This is just one of the many threats that Donald Trump makes. Every day he wakes up, he makes another threat, a lot of the times about the city that he actually comes from,” Mamdani said in early October. “[Trump] wants to do a whole lot of things with this city, and we’re going to fight him every step of the way, as long as it is something that comes at the expense of this city.”

Subscribe to the LGBTQ Nation newsletter and be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.