Cabán asks about Mayor's Office coordination and outreach to hospitals

I want to follow up on this line of questioning that the chair just engaged in.

What is the mayor's office of LGBTQ affairs, the coordination with other agencies look like?

You started to touch on it, but if you could go into some more specifics around it and will you be doing...

Any outreach to hospitals about the benefits of providing access to gender-affirming care to youth and mental health impacts?

Is it a situation where, like, they already know, and so maybe that's not necessary?

But, yeah, I'd be curious to know.

Yeah, I mean, that cooperation began.

on day one of my tenure in this position.

And I think that, and I know that that comes from a fundamental belief that government services are for all people in New York, including LGBTQIA people.

And so, you know, my office, I think of it as a way to ensure that agencies are providing those services that are inclusive of LGBTQIA people who are sometimes often, you know, not thought of or, you know, solutions aren't sort of centered.

And so just off the top of my head, I can say I've had many conversations with CCHR, law department, OCH, my wonderful colleagues at both health and hospitals and the Department of Health.

And I'm planning other things to work with fellow agency and office heads.

And so, yeah, I mean, I think that just has to be built into my work because, again, those especially, you know, when we're talking about agencies dedicated to homeless prevention, health care, housing, what have you, those are all LGBTQIA issues.

That's right.

And thus, my community must be taken into account in those decisions.

And also sharing the important work that those offices are doing.

I think sometimes the public may not have an awareness that those offices may be for them and are required to serve them as well.

And it brings to mind, too, I just had a conversation with Commissioner Martin from the Department of Health who is planning some things around H.R.

1.

And that's something that is certain.

going to impact LGBTQIA people.

So we've had conversations about sort of how do we get more information to the communities that I serve specifically.

And apologies, could you please repeat the second part of your question?

Or was there a second part?

I think you very, very thoroughly answered the question.

I'm going to hand it over to colleagues, but I just, as you say that, you know, the council's LGBTQIA plus caucus obviously has, for the past several years, been putting out a policy plan and roadmap.

And I want to give a really, really big shout out and acknowledgement to now Councilmember Wilson, who at the time was the Chief of Staff to Councilmember Botcher, and really, really anchored a lot of the work that we did on the Pride and Policy

report.

There is an updated version of that coming out soon, but I think that's also an area for us to be able to collaborate, and we can be talking about legislative interventions.

But is Wilson next?

Oh, because he's not here.

Okay.