State Commits $1.8 Million for LGBTQ+ Youth Specialized Crisis Counseling Services
Announces $500,000 To Develop a Statewide LGBTQ+ Legal Hotline and Resource Website
Expands the Lorena Borjas Transgender and Non-Binary Wellness and Equity Fund to Over $16 Million, Making the Fund the Largest of its Kind in the Nation
Opens Requests for Workshop Proposals for the 2026 LGBTQ+ Convening
From NYS Governor Kathy Hochul,
Governor Kathy Hochul today announced several expanded initiatives designed to increase support for LGBTQ+ New Yorkers, including additional investments to support LGBTQ+ youth and transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming communities (TGNCNB). This year’s enacted budget included an investment of $1.8 million to provide LGBTQ+ youth with specialized crisis counseling and train local 988 crisis counselors on the concerns of LGBTQ+ youth, ensuring access to lifesaving services when the Trump administration defunded the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline’s LGBTQ+ Youth Specialized Services program.
“New York is the birthplace of the LGBTQ+ movement, and I could not be prouder of that,” Governor Hochul said. “When there are assaults on LGBTQ+ rights all across America, New York will not sit on the sidelines. We will always stand hand-in-hand with our LGBTQ+ community and continue our fight for equality because feeling safe is a human right. We stand for those rights today, and we’ll always keep fighting for those rights in the future.”
Building on this support, the enacted budget also included $500,000 to develop a statewide LGBTQ+ legal hotline and resource website to provide free legal advice and community resources to LGBTQ+ New Yorkers being targeted by legal and policy attacks from the current federal administration.
To further address the needs of transgender, gender non-conforming, and non-binary New Yorkers, funding for the Lorena Borjas Transgender and Non-Binary Wellness and Equity Fund increased by half a million dollars, bringing the total of the fund to over $16 million, the largest fund of its kind in the nation.
New York stands on a strong foundation of LGBTQ+ history and activism against the federal government’s efforts to dismantle years of civil rights progress and advocacy. Earlier this year, when the federal government attempted to target and erase this history by removing the Pride Flag from Stonewall National Park, Governor Hochul successfully fought back and amplified the history of the Stonewall Uprising.
As a national leader in advocating for LGBTQ+ rights, Governor Hochul continues to ensure that New York is a safe and inclusive home for LGBTQ+ New Yorkers. Since taking office, the Governor has championed legislation to make New York a safe haven for LGBTQ+ youth and signed the Shield Law 2.0 to offer greater protections.
To expand on this work, the Governor’s Office of LGBTQ+ Affairs is currently accepting requests for workshop proposals for the 2026 LGBTQIA+ Convening, which will occur on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, in Albany, New York, at the Empire State Plaza Concourse. This annual event, entering its fifth year, brings together policymakers and government officials from across state agencies to hear directly from advocates about the most pressing needs facing our state’s LGBTQ+ community and learn about proposed efforts New York State could take to meet those needs.
