Statement: NEW Pride Agenda Condemns Mayor Adams’ Threat to Roll Back Student Protections

Contact:
Max Schulman, max@anatgerstein.com, 347-861-4167

NEW Pride Agenda Condemns Mayor Adams’ Threat to Roll Back Student Protections

(September 18, 2025) ––The NEW Pride Agenda (NPA), New York State’s leading LGBTQIA+ advocacy organization, issued the following statement in response to Mayor Eric Adams’ comments today that he will attempt to roll back an existing policy that allows transgender students to use school bathrooms that align with their gender identity:

“Any attempt to roll back student protections is reckless, cruel, and legally baseless. Both New York State and New York City law both affirm the rights of all students, including transgender students to use bathrooms that correspond with their gender identity. The mayor does not have the authority to take away these protections—period.

“This desperate statement is not about governance. It is about whether New York will continue to lead the nation on civil rights, or flounder in the name of cheap political points at the expense of transgender kids’ dignity. New Yorkers deserve better than fearmongering and scapegoating from City Hall.

“The NEW Pride Agenda will continue to work alongside students, families, and advocates to ensure that our schools remain affirming environments where all young people are respected, protected, and  able to learn. We urge elected officials and community leaders across the state to join us in unequivocally rejecting these dangerous attempts to roll back civil rights. New York cannot, and must not, mirror other states bending its moral arc under pressure. 

“All youth deserve support, not to be used as pawns in political games. NPA will not remain idle while their rights are threatened. To transgender youth across New York: your dignity is non-negotiable, and you deserve safety, joy, and the freedom to be you.”

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