FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
Friday, June 23, 2023

City Shows Its Pride

NYC Health Department, NYC Unity Project, and NYC Mayor’s Office of Equity to participate in NYC Pride March and NYC PrideFest to highlight programming and resources for LGBTQ+ New Yorkers 

June 23, 2023 – Following a month of activities and events promoting the health and well-being of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, gender nonconforming and non-binary, queer, and intersex (LGBTQ+) New Yorkers, the NYC Health Department, the NYC Unity Project and the NYC Mayor’s Office of Equity are proud to announce their participation in the NYC Pride March on Sunday, June 25, 2023, in Manhattan.

NYC Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan and NYC Health Department staff will join the march and agency staff will be on hand at the march and at NYC PrideFest to distribute free safer sex products and health promotional materials. The NYC Health Department’s NYC Pride March float this year will promote the new “Summer of Sexual Health” marketing campaign, which reminds New Yorkers to get the sexual health care services they need.

“This event is such an important part of the city’s history, its present, and its future,” said NYC Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan. “We are proud to once again join the city’s Pride celebrations and promote health and love.”

With Pride celebrations taking place across the city, the NYC Health Department is meeting people where they are to provide free mpox vaccinations, including at this Sunday’s NYC PrideFest. This is the first year the agency is bringing the vaccine to Pride events, including the Latex Ball, Queens Pride, and Bronx Pride. 

“Pride is a joyous time to celebrate our LGBTQ+ communities and the strides we have made together to advance LGBTQ+ health,” said Deputy Commissioner for the NYC Health Department’s Division of Disease Control Dr. Celia Quinn. “I am excited about our new and expanded LGBTQ+ programs and look forward to continuing our work to promote health and health equity for LGBTQ+ New Yorkers.”

“Pride is a time for celebration and recommitment to protecting the rights and well-being of New York City's LGBTQ+ community,” said NYC Mayor's Office of Equity Commissioner Sideya Sherman. “The NYC Mayor's Office of Equity is proud to partner with the Health Department to launch new services and resources for the LGBTQ+ community through the NYC Unity Project.”

“Through deep, in-community partnerships, cross-agency coordination, and pioneering equity ethos, the NYC Unity Project, together with the NYC Mayor's Office of Equity and the NYC Health Department, are spearheading viable solutions to urgent and systemic inequities across the LGBTQ+ community,” said NYC Unity Project Acting Executive Director Ronald Porcelli. “By centering those we serve in every aspect of our mission, we uplift the powerful voices of our diverse LGBTQ+ community. This Pride, we're thrilled to continue our efforts in delivering innovative health solutions and integrating them into the fabric of modern health care."

On June 12, 2023, Mayor Adams signed an executive order to protect access to gender-affirming health care in New York City. The order prevents the use of City resources to detain any individual who is providing or receiving gender-affirming health care services in New York City, or to cooperate with another state’s prosecution or investigation of an individual for providing or receiving gender-affirming care. 

The NYC Health Department continues to offer all New Yorkers, including LGBTQ+ New Yorkers, services and resources to enable access to culturally-affirming health care. In the weeks ahead, the NYC Health Department – with support from Mayor’s Office of Equity and NYC Unity Project -- will release an updated health booklet for New York City’s transgender, gender nonconforming and non-binary (TGNCNB) communities. Updated with the support of the NYC Health Department’s TGNCNB Community Advisory Board, the booklet will feature information and resources on health, gender affirmation, self-care, and safety tips and resources. Last December, the NYC Health Department awarded funding to Destination Tomorrow and Mount Sinai to offer psychosocial support services for TGNCNB people with HIV, and continues to fund Callen-Lorde Community Health Center to offer comprehensive health services – including primary care, behavioral health care, and sexual and reproductive health care – for uninsured LGBTQ+ people. The NYC Health Department also funds several agencies to offer harm reduction services for men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender people who have sex with men, and who use crystal methamphetamine.

Earlier this month, the NYC Health Department in conjunction with the NYC Mayor’s Office of Equity launched the NYC Unity Project’s Trauma-Informed Healing Initiative, which provides healing workshops; referral pathways; interactive, didactic training sessions; mental health workforce capacity building; and trauma-informed best practices and education for allies and support networks – all with a focus on LGBTQ+ youth and their providers. 

The NYC Health Department maintains a list of around 120 LGBTQ+ health service providers across New York City on the NYC Health Map, and continues to promote its LGBTQ Health Care Bill of Rights, which details the health care protections available to LGBTQ+ New Yorkers, now available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Haitian Creole, Korean, Russian, and Spanish. For more information, visit nyc.gov/health/lgbtq.