New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced that City Hall and other municipal buildings will be lit blue, pink, and white tonight in recognition of Transgender Day of Remembrance — a worldwide observance that honors the memory of transgender people whose lives were lost in acts of anti-transgender violence.
“Transgender, gender non-confirming, and non-binary people show our city what it means to be strong, courageous, and brave every day, and today we remember all those who lost their lives in senseless acts of anti-transgender violence,” said Mayor Adams. “The lighting of these municipal buildings sends a powerful message that New York City will remain a safe haven for the entire LGBTQ+ community, and particularly for transgender individuals seeking to live their best and safest lives.”
“Far too many transgender, gender non-conforming, and non-binary individuals have been lost to hate and violence,” said Mayor’s Community Affairs Unit Commissioner Fred Kreizman. “To honor their memory and stand against anti-transgender bigotry, we light up the city as a symbol of resilience and hope. New York City remains unwavering in its commitment to supporting the transgender, gender non-conforming, and non-binary community, ensuring that everyone can live safely and authentically.”
In addition to City Hall, the following city buildings will be lit up blue, pink, and white tonight:
- Brooklyn Borough Hall: 209 Joralemon Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201
- The David N. Dinkins Manhattan Municipal Building: 1 Centre Street, New York, NY 10007
- Queens Borough Hall: 120-55 Queens Boulevard, Kew Gardens, NY 11424
- Staten Island Borough Hall: 10 Richmond Terrace, Staten Island, NY 10301
Since day one, Mayor Adams has consistently stood alongside New York City’s LGBTQ+ community. Earlier this year, Mayor Adams announced the first-ever LGBTQ+ inclusive St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Staten Island. Mayor Adams was also the first mayor to participate in the March 2023 “Rainbow Run” in solidarity with the excluded LGBTQ+ community on Staten Island. These actions led to the end to a decades-long conflict with the Richmond County St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
Early in the administration, Mayor Adams delivered a $6.7 million investment in new and expanded social services for LGBTQ+ New Yorkers, signing an executive order protecting access to gender-affirming health care in the five boroughs with the support of communities across the city.
Additionally, Mayor Adams created a new process for New Yorkers to contact the New York City Police Department to re-examine cases involving LGBTQ+ victims, and stood with the LGBTQ+ community in times of crisis.
Transgender Day of Remembrance was started in 1999 by transgender advocate Gwendolyn Ann Smith as a vigil to honor the memory of Rita Hester, a transgender woman who was killed in 1998. The vigil commemorated all of the transgender people lost to violence since Hester’s death and began an important tradition that has become the annual Transgender Day of Remembrance.
For more information on New York City’s protections against discrimination based on gender identity and expression, visit the New York City Human Rights’ website.
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