New Pride Agenda calls on lawmakers to deliver on commitments to LGBTQ New Yorkers
Kei Williams, the executive director of the statewide LGBTQ advocacy group New Pride Agenda, said the 2026 midterm elections sent a direct message to conservatives in response to the conditions Americans have experienced under the current administration — and now the non-profit leader is looking to politicians to make good on their promises. “The leaders … Read More
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Kei Williams, the executive director of the statewide LGBTQ advocacy group New Pride Agenda, said the 2026 midterm elections sent a direct message to conservatives in response to the conditions Americans have experienced under the current administration — and now the non-profit leader is looking to politicians to make good on their promises.
“The leaders now have a responsibility to deliver on their commitments to LGBTQ+ New Yorkers — and that’s through meaningful protections, funding, and following through,” Williams said in an interview with Gay City News on Nov. 10. Williams also praised the influx of LGBTQ political leaders, with historic gains in queer representation in Congress, statehouses, and in local offices.
New Pride Agenda, which works to advance the economic, health, racial, and gender identity justice needs of marginalized LGBTQ individuals in New York State, has played a key role in advocating for a wide range of causes relevant to the community, including pushing for a statewide Lorena Borjas Transgender Equity Fund, which provides funding for organizations serving transgender, gender non-conforming, and non-binary individuals.
While the organization fights for LGBTQ-specific initiatives, however, Williams also stressed that many of the same problems impacting the broader population in the Empire State are also relevant to queer community members.
“LGBTQ issues are everyday issues,” Williams said, citing matters such as “being able to see a doctor, being able to have stable housing, and being able to feel safe in your community.”
Williams added: “Many officials ran on affordability nationwide; that was kind of the key talking point this year. And so it’s important for folks to know that LGBTQ people also buy gas, also look for housing, also cannot afford healthcare, and are also being priced out by taxes and tariffs. What we’re hearing from the rest of rural New Yorkers is exactly that: There’s an affordability crisis that trans and queer folks are experiencing.”
As New Pride Agenda carries out its statewide work, its leaders have heard from LGBTQ community members across New York. Williams noted that many people outside of New York City are seeking greater investment in gender-affirming care in their communities — and even New York City has seen its options dwindle at a time when multiple private hospitals have restricted gender-affirming care for youth.
“What we're hearing and what we're seeing is the need to protect gender-affirming care for both youth and adults, the need to pour in more resources to services as it relates to housing and healthcare access and mental health programs, and overall ensuring a better increase in and improvement and quality of life,” Williams explained. “That's what we're seeing in New York City, but we’re definitely seeing that outside of New York City in the rest of the state.”
Looking ahead, especially in the upcoming new year, New Pride Agenda hopes to see an expansion of the Lorena Borjas fund and improved access to gender-affirming care, especially in rural areas, and the organization supports pending legislation that would require Medicaid to cover gender-affirming care regardless of federal funding.
"We want our other leadership to stand bravely and proudly next to their LGBTQ+ transgender and gender non-conforming community members and understand that our healthcare matters just as much as their healthcare," Williams said. "That's going to be really important for any of the leadership to take away — that you do not have to sacrifice your trans community to stand up for your values, to represent all New Yorkers or all Americans, whatever side of the party. At the end of the day, we are here. We are LGBTQ folks, trans folks, citizens. We pay taxes. We contribute to the economy. We are active members of society. We deserve as much equal protection and investment as our fellow citizens."
