Opinion: To trans New Yorkers, we must say: ‘We see you’

This Trans Day of Visibility, we are thinking about how the trans community has been made to feel invisible in the second Trump administration. In his first eight days back in office, President Donald Trump signed a half-dozen executive orders denying the existence of trans people, barring their participation in federal programs and restricting their access to health care.

In the 2025 state legislative session, New York responded to these attacks. We invested in our queer brothers and sisters through the Lorena Borjas Transgender Wellness and Equity Fund (TWEF). In making these commitments to health, housing, job training and legal assistance for trans New Yorkers, our state said, “We see you and support you.”

But in its second year, the Trump administration’s harmful campaign against the trans community has only intensified. They have gone after the Pride Flag at Stonewall, gender-affirming care at hospitals and anti-discrimination policies in our schools. If we are to be true to our values as the home of the queer liberation movement, New York must redouble our legislative support for the trans community.

That is why we are leading the effort in our respective chambers to expand TWEF to $10 million in this year’s state budget. TWEF is the nation’s second state-level program supporting trans-led and trans-serving organizations. From Queens to the Southern Tier, our constituents turn to these small organizations to access benefits, receive care and build community.

Take the Caribbean Equality Project, a New York City-based TWEF recipient that provides culturally-responsive programming for queer Caribbean Americans, including support groups, HIV/STI testing and know-your-rights trainings. Their work is especially impactful for queer Caribbean immigrants, many of whom have fled home countries with draconian anti-gay and anti-trans laws. By supporting them, we are uplifting a group that has long been relegated to the shadows.

These organizations also service material needs. Many TWEF organizations offer nutrition assistance; the Caribbean Equality Project alone has distributed more than 186,000 meals since its inception just a decade ago. Those resources can be a lifeline in the queer community, especially for young people: 40% of LGBTQ+ young people have reported a history of food insecurity, housing instability or unmet basic needs.

Organizations like these demonstrate why the Trans Wellness and Equity Fund was created.

And last year, New York took an important step forward. The state budget enhanced funding by $500,000, bringing the annual investment to $4.75 million and expanding the reach of these vital programs. We were proud to support that expansion. But the moment we face today demands more.

Alongside persecution from the federal government, state-level repression has escalated. In 2025 alone, state legislators across the nation introduced more than 600 anti-LGBTQ+ policies. And last year, the right-wing Supreme Court greenlit this discrimination in U.S. v. Skrmetti, affirming Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for youth and activating bans in half the U.S.

As hostile states push queer residents further to the margins, many have fled to more accepting states like New York. That migration is already being felt across our state – particularly in upstate communities, where support networks are still developing and LGBTQ+ resources are more scarce.

TWEF organizations like the Volunteer Lawyers Project of CNY help fill this gap. They provide free legal assistance to those in need in 17 counties across Central New York, the North Country and the Southern Tier. This includes civil legal representation for name changes, a basic safety and benefits access issue for many trans New Yorkers. Additionally, the organization offers workforce opportunities in the legal sector to trans and nonbinary individuals, helping address persistent unemployment in the community.

Expanding the Trans Wellness and Equity Fund to $10 million would allow organizations across the state – especially those outside of major cities – to offer health care, housing and jobs programs for trans New Yorkers. It would also ensure that the state can meet the rising demand for services as more people look to New York as a refuge.

At Stonewall, trans women of color and their allies stood up against injustice and repression. This Trans Day of Visibility, the trans community is once again staring down oppressive forces. Now, as then, we must stand shoulder to shoulder with our trans siblings. As extremists seek to erase them, here in New York, we will work to empower them.