Overview

• At a Thursday press conference, Mayor Eric Adams said he will examine the Education Department’s rules and his authority to alter them if they allow boys and girls to use the same facility at the same time.
• New York City’s current guidance requires schools to let students use restrooms, locker rooms, and changing areas consistent with their gender identity, with any privacy accommodations made in a non-stigmatizing way.
• The U.S. Department of Education notified city officials of a compliance issue and directed adoption of biology-based definitions and sex-separated facilities, threatening magnet-school funding without swift remedial steps.
• State education officials and the New York Civil Liberties Union said the mayor cannot ban transgender students from bathrooms that match their gender identity under state and city laws.
• Adams’ comments followed campaign-trail attacks on rival Zohran Mamdani and DSA supporters, drawing condemnation from Mamdani and LGBTQ advocates as his campaign framed the stance as a family-safety position.