NYC Launches $15 Million Gender-Affirming Care Expansion Plan

NEW YORK, NY— The City expanded youth gender-affirming care with a $15 million plan, Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced on Friday.

The plan includes three initiatives: a direct care access fund for providers of youth gender-affirming care, a call and text line connecting residents to services and information and new city-funded research focused on health outcomes and access gaps for transgender and gender non-conforming New Yorkers.

The announcement follows legal activity involving federal subpoenas seeking medical records tied to gender-affirming care.

The City’s Law Department recently supported a legal challenge opposing the subpoenas, and a federal judge granted an injunction blocking the U.S. Department of Justice from accessing the records.

The administration also directed the Law Department to prepare to respond to further federal actions targeting gender-affirming care, including potential litigation.

“As the federal government attacks transgender people and attempts to intimidate patients, families and providers, New York City is stepping up," Mamdani said.

1.4 percent of residents in New York City identify as transgender, gender non-conforming, gender queer, non-binary, or intersex, a 2025 report from the New York State Department of Health estimates.

The report draws on statewide telephone survey data and highlights persistent disparities in health outcomes and access to care.

The state report also finds that LGBTQIA+ adults experience significantly higher rates of mental health distress, substance use, and barriers to medical care compared with non-LGBTQIA+ populations.

It notes elevated levels of housing insecurity, food insecurity, and difficulty accessing consistent providers of care.

The Department of Health says these disparities are linked to long-standing stigma and discrimination that contribute to chronic stress and poorer health outcomes across LGBTQIA+ communities.

Separately, national estimates from the Williams Institute suggest that approximately 724,000 youth ages 13 to 17 in the United States identify as transgender, representing about 3.3 percent of the U.S. youth population.

Researchers using federal survey data and statistical modeling also estimate that transgender youth are disproportionately under age 35 overall, with a significant share identifying as nonbinary or gender non-conforming.

City officials said the NYC Health + Hospitals system will continue providing gender-affirming care, and the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene will launch a pilot program offering gender-affirming hormone therapy for adults at a public clinic in Queens.

Officials said the city will maintain expanded services for LGBTQ+ residents, including mental health support and care navigation resources, as the new programs roll out.