Taylor Brown leads the new LGBTQ+ Affairs Bureau in New York. She is the first openly transgender person leading a city office.

Brown is a lawyer appointed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani. She says the work faces pressure from federal attacks on transgender people.

"The transgender community across the country is attacked," Brown told a local radio station. "We must pay close attention to this."

Her office has two main tasks. First, Brown wants to respond quickly to political attacks. Second, she wants to address old inequalities.

These inequalities mainly affect work, housing and education. Transgender and coloured LGBTQ+ people feel these problems most strongly.

Brown sees gender-affirming care as a top priority. "This is life-saving care for transgender people," Brown said. "This is essential and urgent."

New York has a long history with LGBTQ+ rights. The modern movement began here in the nineteen-sixties. Transgender women played an important role then.

"I am very proud to do this work," Brown said. "It is an honour to continue this history."