Fact Check: Did Zohran Mamdani launch a $15M gender-affirming care initiative?

WASHINGTON, DC: An X user claimed that Zohran Mamdani launched a $15 million initiative to expand gender-affirming care across New York City. The claim surfaced as the Trump administration increased pressure on hospitals through policy changes and funding threats, prompting some major health systems, including NYU Langone, to scale back or end gender-affirming care for minors. But did Mamdani actually announce such a proposal?

Claim: Zohran Mamdani launches a $15M initiative to expand gender-affirming care in NYC

An X user named @DemzDeliver claimed that "Zohran Mamdani launched a $15 million initiative to expand gender-affirming care in NYC." The post featured Mamdani's portrait alongside the Progress Pride flag and presented the initiative as a positive Democratic policy achievement.

According to the post, the proposed $15 million initiative would support transgender and gender non-conforming New Yorkers by protecting access to gender-affirming healthcare amid growing national uncertainty and federal pressure on healthcare providers.

The proposal allegedly included a Direct Care Access Fund, which would provide financial support to healthcare providers offering gender-affirming care, particularly for young people, to help maintain and expand services despite hospital closures and policy changes.

It also proposed a dedicated support hotline that would connect transgender and gender non-conforming New Yorkers, along with their families, to healthcare providers, information, community resources, and mental health services through phone and text.

Fact Check: True, Zohran Mamdani did make the announcement

The claim is true. Mayor Zohran Mamdani's office officially announced the $15 million initiative on June 26–27, 2026, through NYC.gov. The city will invest the funding over two years to expand access to gender-affirming care across New York City.

The initiative includes a Direct Care Access Fund to support healthcare providers offering gender-affirming care, particularly for young people.

It also establishes a dedicated call and text support line, funds research into gaps in LGBTQ+ healthcare access and outcomes, and launches a pilot program at a Queens clinic to provide low- or no-cost gender-affirming hormone therapy for adults, regardless of immigration status.

The announcement represents a scaled-down version of Mamdani's earlier $65 million campaign proposal. The administration introduced the initiative after several major New York City hospitals scaled back gender-affirming care for minors amid federal pressure under the Trump administration.

City officials announced the plan during Pride Month as part of the "Trans Rights Are Human Rights" campaign, with Mamdani saying New York City would "step up" against federal "attacks" and "intimidation" targeting healthcare providers and patients.