Press Room

"I welcome the new vaccine mandates for private sector businesses in New York City, and wish it had gone into effect earlier than four days before the current Mayor leaves office. Previous mandates have played a major role in increasing the city’s vaccination rates, and amid the uncertainty of the Omicron variant and the certainty of holiday travel and gatherings, this new measure can help save lives.

"I am also glad to see the administration expand the requirement under existing mandates to full vaccination rather than a single dose– as I and others have called for– because incomplete protection is not nearly enough amid rising cases and the new variant. It is now incumbent upon the administration, in the next days and weeks, to advise and aid our city’s businesses on issues of implementation and enforcement that have not been adequately explained. 

"The citywide vaccine mandates for indoor dining and entertainment venues have been widely successful in spurring vaccination, encouraging New Yorkers to patronize businesses, and simultaneously limiting the kind of spread we have seen in other areas across New York State. Amid the holiday season, as people travel across the state and the majority of gatherings move inside, it is critical that the Governor implement these vaccination screenings statewide, in addition to widespread masking requirements. We have the tools and the capacity to prevent another deadly surge of the virus, now we must have the will to use those tools, the urgency to act now, and the spirit of solidarity to protect our fellow New Yorkers."

"We have much more to learn about the Omicron variant, and much more to investigate about the newly reported case with ties to our city. But what we can assume is that there has been community spread of the variant in New York City, potentially tied to the Anime NYC convention. What we know is that we cannot repeat the mistakes of the past in our response, and what works best to protect ourselves, our neighbors, our city and state.

"This is a time for preventative, proactive steps to limit the spread of the Omicron variant. On a city and state government level, we must take the immediate steps of expanding rapid testing capability and reach, particularly as we approach the holidays, increasing funding to community organizations reaching New Yorkers to provide direct access to vaccination, and broadening the city’s mask advisory to the entire state. On an individual level, we must commit to the well-being of our fellow New Yorkers by getting tested when exposure is suspected, wearing masks indoors, getting fully vaccinated and receiving booster shots when eligible."

"Chag Hanukkah Sameach, Happy Hanukkah, to all in the Jewish community who begin celebrating this evening.

"Amid the challenges our city faces, unsure about the future, and as we confront rises in hate crimes and anti-Semitism, this holiday is a moment to recall and embody the message of Hanukkah, one of light over darkness, liberty over persecution, and the power of miracles. In finding the light – in ourselves, in our world, in the illumination of the menorah – we can overcome the greatest of challenges, the most daunting of obstacles."

"Hanukkah shows the power of perseverance, faith, and the miracles that those values make possible in our lives. As reflected in the letters on the dreidel, great miracles can happen here – and through our good works, we can make miracles happen in our lives and in our world."

" I want to wish a Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving to all New Yorkers. In a time of so many challenges, so much uncertainty, today is a day to reflect on the gifts we have been given, all we have to be grateful for which give us strength and solace in difficulty and turmoil.

"I am thankful for the support of my friends, the love of my family. I am thankful for the honor of serving the city as its Public Advocate, and for my incredible team that makes that service possible. I am thankful for New Yorkers who continue to show their resilience and compassion in equal measure.

"It is important to acknowledge Thanksgiving's origins of injustice perpetrated against Indigenous peoples, horrors whose impact is still felt today. At the same time, it is essential to take time to feel and express gratitude, to give humble thanks for our blessings and the people we are privileged to have in our lives. I have been and continue to be profoundly blessed, and for that, I am profoundly thankful."

"I still haven’t watched the footage of Ahmaud Arbery’s murder. I still can’t. But today I watched a semblance of justice. Ahmaud Arbery was killed, his life stolen, in a racist act of gun violence. That doesn’t change. But with some measure of accountability today, I pray for some measure of comfort for his family, and some measure of change for the country that saw him killed for the crime of being a Black man in America.

"Being a Black man in America is also reflected in the absurd dread of waiting for this verdict and being in doubt of its outcome even in the face of overwhelming evidence, hoping for justice but not expecting it. Because we’ve been here before, so many times, and seen justice denied – seen our humanity denied. We must continue the work of uprooting old systems until the expectation is not justice denied but justice delivered, until we can truly be okay."

New York City Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams today released a short-form documentary piece highlighting the obstacles that transgender and gender non-conforming New Yorkers face in accessing quality, gender-affirming health care. The piece, entitled Our Healthcare, features a roundtable discussion between members of the Office of the Public Advocate and a panel of transgender activists– watch it here.

“I’m grateful to everyone who contributed to the dialogue featured in this piece for sharing their stories, and for joining us in the work ahead,” said Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams about the discussion. “Transgender individuals deserve equitable access to healthcare services, and to be able to receive that treatment without fear of discrimination or the burden of education and explanation of gender issues to to their healthcare providers. These barriers lead to a lack of access to critical care, and on the city, state, and federal level we must do more to confront the inadequacies that stem from implicit bias and explicit lack of training on transgender issues.”

Featured in the video are Bryan Ellicott, Chanel Lopez, Tahtianna Fermin, Grace Detrevarah, Octavia Lewis and Victoria Bell, as well as Kadeem Robinson and Kim Watson-Benjamin from the Office of the Public Advocate, and the Public Advocate himself. Their conversation centers on combating and correcting implicit bias; the need to provide education on these issues for medical professionals; and the importance of defining and providing adequate, trans-affirming healthcare services.

As the video notes, 1 in 3 transgender individuals report having to educate their doctors about basic transgender issues in order to receive appropriate care. About the same proportion of trans individuals who have seen a healthcare provider in the last year report having had at least one negative experience related to being transgender. As a result, 27% of transgender people report having not seen a doctor in the past year for fear of being mistreated.

As part of the conversation, the Public Advocate discussed his legislative package aimed at addressing these inequities on a city level through education and information. The first of two bills, Intro 2119, would require the city to report on training for medical care for transgender and gender non-conforming persons-- including the scope of the training both in content and in number of personnel trained. The second, Intro 2120, would require that signage on transgender patient rights and available services be distributed to and displayed at every hospital in the City.

View and download the full piece here.