BY CHARLI BATTERSBY | On August 14, this correspondent reported on a “Tran Joy” rally. Held on the steps of City Hall, it saw members of the City Council and LGBTQ+ rights advocates celebrate new health and wellness initiatives in NYC’s 2026 budget. On September 30, many of the same faces gathered on the other side of City Hall Park–this time, to denounce NYC Mayor Eric Adams and President Donald J. Trump for undermining those accomplishments.
In six weeks, quite a lot had changed regarding trans people. Charlie Kirk’s alleged assassin was allegedly a trans rights activist. The federal government had pulled 15 million dollars in funding for a Magnate Schools grant. Mayor Adams had not only ended his re-election campaign, but had begun questioning city policies regarding transgender students.
September 30’s “No Hate in NYC Schools” rally was not about Trans Joy. We were back to anger, resentment, and frustration with our “allies.” In the summer of 2023, Mayor Adams had seemed like an ally when he issued an executive order reading, “Hate has no place in our city… To LGBTQ+ people across the nation feeling hurt, isolated, or threatened, we have a clear message for you: New York City has and will always be a welcoming home for you.”
But, two weeks before the “No Hate in NYC Schools” rally, he used the exact phrases, “I don’t support boys and girl using the same restroom,” and, “We have become so politically correct that we are incorrect.” (Click here to see the footage.)
Was it a symbolic gesture that the “No Hate” rally was held on the steps of “Tweed” Courthouse? Named after one of New York’s most corrupt politicians, it was nonetheless a photogenic backdrop.
Before the rally began, our correspondent had the chance for a quick interview with Melissa Sklarz, Elected Democratic district leader representing the 30th Assembly District in Woodside, Queens.
Sklarz was quick to give us her opinions on the last six weeks of news, saying, “The mayor of New York city has decided, all on his own, to change the laws of New York City and New York State, and start to harass trans girls in school bathrooms, in spite of the law being passed both at city and state level. He does not have the authority,” she told us, adding, “Already Donald Trump is de-funding New York City schools,. It will not just affect trans girls but it will also affect all citizens in New York City.”
When asked about the recent budget increase at the local level, Sklarz replied, “It’s almost like were being punished for succeeding as a community.”
Mayor Adams had officially ended his campaign for re-election a few days earlier. When we asked her thoughts, she told us, “I wish him well. I look forward to having a new mayor of New York city in January.”
This sentiment was echoed by many of the other speakers. New York City Council member Tiffany Cabán got a round of applause when she spoke about Eric Adams and said, “Also, he’s officially a one-term mayor.”
It was a true New York scene; across the street on the north side of Chambers Street, a TV crew was filming an episode of Law & Order. Elsewhere, colorful characters were on the periphery, including numerous hecklers ready to loudly express their views on transgender kids.
When Council Member and LGBTQIA+ Caucus Co-Chair Erik Bottcher took the podium, a man standing in the street began screaming, “Erik Bottcher for Congress!” at the top of his lungs. He remained conspicuously enthusiastic throughout Bottcher’s speech. (On October 8, Bottcher announced the opening of a 2026 fundraising account to prepare for his “potential congressional candidacy”–leading one to wonder if the screaming man was in possession of top secret plans, or merely possessed,)
Council Member Bottcher, who spoke over the heckler’s overly-intense praise, said, “If people knew, if people had the privilege of having trans people in their lives, this wouldn’t be happening like this. One of the reasons why we were able to make so much progress in gay and lesbian rights is because, as we came out, people got to know us in their lives as their brother and sister, as their neighbor down the street, as their teacher, their coworker, as their barista at Starbucks.”
But the heckling was about to hit a high point as Bottcher continued, “When you know someone in your life, you know that those vicious stereotypes aren’t true. They’re not real, the fact that we’re predators, the fact that we’re trying to recruit people, the fact that people are putting on dresses to get into the Women’s Room. That is not happening.”
And at this point, the conspicuous “fan” began screaming, “Yes it is man! Yes it is! It is bro, you are lying, bro!” Organizers of the event mobilized to intervene, and the police arrived to escort the man away. His screaming drowned out most of Bottcher’s remaining words.
A few minutes later, a transgender student spoke about the situation from personal experience. At this point, another protestor rode by on a Citi Bike, screaming conspiracy theories about fake bullet holes on pictures from mass shootings.
The rally had a sharp sense of humor to it–not joyous, but acidic. NYS Assembly Member Tony Simone (District 75) got in a good zinger, saying, “Right now, if you’re watching Fox News, the Secretary of Defense is trying to explain to the American people what a real man is. I don’t see that many in this White House.”
New York City Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams spoke near the end of the event. “I gotta say, in almost a decade, I haven’t had one parent, one teacher, one student, one staff person, one New Yorker ask me about bathrooms,” Williams said. “I have heard people talking about the increase in suicides and suicide attempts among trans youth. I haven’t heard the mayor or the president talk about that.”
The hecklers and protestors were by gone the time the rally ended, but a black police car was parked next to the courthouse steps, lights flashing to ward off any further troublemakers. Across the street, the crew was still setting up for Law & Order. No doubt, a “ripped from the headlines” episode about transgender shooters.
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ABOUT CHARLI BATTERSBY | Charles (Charli) Battersby is a playwright, screenwriter, actor, model, game designer, and journalist. Battersby is known as a playwright for, among others, The Astonishing Adventures of All-American Girl & The Scarlet Skun. Battersby is the screenwriter/co-creator of the animated web series The Storyteller: Fallout. She has written about video games, theater, and LGBT topics for media including Geek.com, Complex, and Joystiq. Battersby has moderated a series of panel discussions on Transgender themes in comic books.
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