New York City Hall transformed into a performance stage Tuesday night, as LGBTQ+ city lawmakers converted their chambers into a ballroom runway for artists representing each of the city’s five boroughs.
The New York City Council LGBTQIA+ Caucus kicked off June with its first-ever Pride Ball, featuring ballroom performances, a voguing competition, and awards given to local LGBTQ+ advocates.
The city council issued proclamations of honor to actress Hari Nef, social worker Asha Lyons, who works in gender-affirming care, and Rickke Mananzala, a nonprofit leader, for their contributions to LGBTQ+ life in New York City.
“I was humbled to receive an official proclamation from the LGBTQ+ Caucus,” Nef wrote in an Instagram post about the celebration on Thursday. “I love New York, and I’m not sure if New York ‘loves’ anyone back, but she gave me her tens on this day, and that’s more than enough for me.”
Since President Donald Trump took office last year, federal efforts to restrict LGBTQ+ rights have been felt across the country, including in New York. From crackdowns on gender-affirming care and diversity, equity, and inclusion programs to recent efforts to remove LGBTQ+ Pride flags at Stonewall National Monument, the landscape for LGBTQ+ rights has changed even in Democratic strongholds.
Members of the Democratic-majority city council and New York’s state legislature have taken steps to safeguard LGBTQ+ rights on the local and state levels. That has included enacting so-called “shield laws” to protect recipients of gender-affirming care from out-of-state investigations, creating new protections for trans and nonbinary residents, and opposing anti-LGBTQ+ efforts from the federal government.
“New York City’s history has been shaped by LGBTQIA+ New Yorkers — from the fight for civil rights and continued advocacy, to the culture and community-building that continue to move our city forward,” reads a June 1 post to the social media platform X by the city council. “This Pride Month, the New York City Council celebrates that legacy and recommits to protecting LGBTQIA+ New Yorkers’ rights, safety, health, and dignity in every neighborhood.”
