Last week, to kick off Pride month, the New York City Council’s LGBTQIA+ Caucus released its Marsha and Sylvia Plan, a multi-year policy agenda to support the city’s queer community. The plan, named for trailblazers in the gay-rights movement, includes several action steps, including supporting job-security programs for queer youth, nominating and appointing more LGBTQ New Yorkers to citywide offices, and establishing a local hiring program.
The agenda further cements the city as a welcoming place for queer individuals at a troubling time for our nation. Several states have passed or sought to pass legislation affecting the queer community, spanning from regulating drag performances to banning gender-affirming care, and opponents of LGBTQ rights have protested “pride” merchandise at stores such as Target. Even in New York, traditionally considered a refuge for LGBTQ people, the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s crime data explorer counted 261 hate crimes between 2017 and 2021 attributed to bias based on sexual orientation, and 59 based on bias against gender identity.