The city is currently evaluating letters from the Trump administration that threaten to withdraw funds related to guidelines for transgender students, officials stated on Friday. Mayor Eric Adams continued his stance on gendered bathrooms.
City Hall spokesperson Kayla Mamelak Altas mentioned in a statement that the Adams administration aims to foster an environment in public schools where “all children feel safe.”
This discussion arose during a campaign event when Adams was questioned about the federal letter, specifically about whether it influenced his comments regarding “little girls” using the same bathrooms as boys.
Adams said he was “not thinking” about the federal correspondence during his campaign rally in the Bronx that day.
“I don’t understand why it’s acceptable for high school boys to shower with girls. It seems unsafe to me,” Adams told reporters.
The mayor asserted that his views align directly with Mamdani’s progressive stance. While lawmakers from Queens have not specifically addressed the issue of school bathrooms, his campaign platform includes a proposal for $65 million in public funding aimed at health services for transgender New Yorkers.
“People don’t fully grasp what he stands for,” Adams remarked.
When pressed about the letters sent to the city’s Department of Education, he maintained, “I haven’t read the letter. I don’t know what it says.”
Mamelak Altas later clarified that the mayor hadn’t personally reviewed the letter but had been looking for it prior to receiving advice from his team.
In a recent campaign trail discussion, Adams voiced opposition to shared toilet facilities for boys and girls. On Thursday, he mentioned that he would explore whether he had the authority to enact changes to school policies, despite unrelated briefings outside the UN headquarters.
Mamdani responded to Adams’ remarks, labeling them “dangerous.” He expressed concern about the mayor echoing transphobic views from the Trump administration in a post on X.
“This reflects a dangerous bias that contradicts our city’s values and is another reason his dishonest term needs to come to an end,” he stated.
Even though schools deny the existence of mixed-gender bathrooms, Adams on Friday praised a city restaurant that has unisex stalls.
“When you visit a restaurant, you find a symbol indicating that both men and women can use the facilities,” he said. “There’s no sign suggesting otherwise.”
