Zohran Mamdani Defends LGBTQ Record

By: Paul Goldberg, Staff Writer | JRL CHARTS — LGBT Politics

Candidate faces questions over photo with Ugandan official while doubling down on LGBTQ equality message in New York

NEW YORK CITY — (October 13, 2025) — Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani spent National Coming Out Day rallying LGBTQ supporters and reaffirming his commitment to queer and trans rights — even as a summer photo controversy followed him back into the spotlight.

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Mamdani released a new campaign video pledging that “New York will not sit idly by while trans people are attacked,” before joining hundreds at a Gays for Zohran rally in Greenwich Village.

“We have to stand up for queer New Yorkers every single day,” Mamdani told the crowd to cheers and rainbow flags waving through Washington Square Park.

Pushing Back on the Uganda Photo Controversy

While Saturday’s events focused on inclusion, Mamdani also confronted questions about his July meeting with Ugandan official Rebecca Kadaga, who has championed that nation’s draconian anti-gay legislation.

“Had I known that she was the architect of this horrific legislation and attack on queer Ugandans, I would not have taken it,” Mamdani told reporters Saturday, calling the photo a mistake born of ignorance, not endorsement.

Former Governor Andrew Cuomo, who was campaigning elsewhere that day, dismissed the explanation.

“You cannot be a chameleon,” Cuomo said at a press event. “When you’re in the U.S., you’re pro-LGBT rights, but when you’re in Uganda, you stand and smile with the woman who proposed killing gay people.”

Education Debate and Rally Clashes

Cuomo’s news conference — where he promoted expanding the city’s gifted-and-talented programs — was briefly interrupted by protesters as he contrasted his education plans with Mamdani’s proposal to scale back testing for younger students.

Meanwhile, Republican commentator Curtis Sliwa revived criticisms of Mamdani’s ties to Uganda.

“He ought to sell his property there and not go back,” Sliwa said Monday, while acknowledging his own record as a long-time supporter of gay rights.

LGBTQ Policy Agenda for New York

Mamdani outlined a progressive blueprint for LGBTQ equality if elected mayor, including:

Deploying hundreds of city lawyers to counter a potential Trump-era rollback of federal LGBTQ protections.
Designating New York as an LGBTQ Sanctuary City.
Creating a dedicated Office for LGBTQ Affairs to coordinate policy, health, and safety initiatives.

“Uganda’s record on gay rights is horrific,” Mamdani said. “The attacks on queer Ugandans are a complete betrayal of the very foundation of my politics — a belief in universal human rights.”

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