New York Republican Mike Lawler declares trans community is 'not an enemy or a threat'
In a rare departure from his party’s dominant rhetoric, New York Republican Rep. Mike Lawler publicly affirmed that the LGBTQ+ community and transgender people are “not an enemy or a threat” in a statement posted to Facebook last week. The statement drew cautious optimism from local advocates, who praised the sentiment behind it, but warned that words without action can ring hollow.
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Lawler, who represents New York’s 17th Congressional District, which covers Rockland and Putnam counties and parts of Westchester and Dutchess counties along the lower Hudson Valley, and chairs the Rockland County Republican Party, uploaded the statement to his reelection campaign’s page on October 2. He opened it with a sweeping appeal to those who value freedom and civility, describing a nation that has “lost sight of a simple truth — we are all Americans, yes, but we are all human beings, created in God’s image.” And he urged community members to “seek to love one another with understanding, with compassion, and with civility.”
In the post, Lawler went on to write that the district’s strength lies in its diversity, adding, “We are blessed to have two thriving LGBTQ+ centers that support people every day. Let me be clear: LGBTQ+ people, and especially our Transgender community members, are not an enemy or a threat. They are our friends, our family, and part of the fabric of America. We should never allow rhetoric to paint them as dangerous simply for being who they are. It is time to take the temperature down. LGBTQ+ people are our equals and deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.”
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That message, an explicit acknowledgment of trans people’s humanity from a sitting Republican member of Congress, stands out amid an environment in which GOP leaders have amplified hostility toward gender-affirming care, transgender participation in public life, and LGBTQ+ inclusion in education. It also follows months of silence from Lawler on those issues, according to advocates who know him personally.
“When he first came around, he was involved with the Pride Center during COVID, dropping off supplies. It wasn’t really an issue here in New York 17 about supporting LGBTQ+ people until this January, and then things started to shift,” Brooke Malloy, executive director of the Rockland County Pride Center, said in an interview with _The Advocate_ , explaining that she has been pressing Lawler to speak up against the recent surge in anti-trans rhetoric and attacks on equality.
Since President Donald Trump’s inauguration, the federal government has stopped acknowledging the existence of transgender and nonbinary people and has targeted their identities with restrictions on official documents, access to medical care, and inclusion in recreational activities.
After the assassination of anti-LGBTQ+ conservative commentator Charlie Kirk in September, some political leaders called for a lowering of the national temperature. However, a number of far-right extremists seemed to take delight in attempting to connect the trans community to the murder.
Malloy said that, in that context, she and a board member whose adult child is transgender directly appealed to Lawler to take a stand. “We said, ‘Mike, do this. Do this for his kid. Just say it. Why can’t you say it?’” she recalled saying to the lawmaker. “‘Why would that be so provocative — to say that trans people are human or that LGBTQ+ people deserve the same rights as everybody else?’ But in this day and age, it is a provocative statement.”
While Malloy welcomed the congressman’s statement, she views it as long overdue. “He hasn’t said anything pro-LGBTQ since this administration took office. He didn’t show up to Pride this year…. Nobody from the GOP showed up,” she said. “So to see him post this — it was the lowest bar possible.’”
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Malloy said she has known Lawler for years and described him as “movable,” but she questioned whether his political ambitions, and his love for the camera, outweigh his convictions. “I know for a fact that Mike Lawler knows better,” she said. “He already understands that LGBTQ+ people are full human beings, but he does what serves him personally and professionally.”
In her view, authentic leadership would mean using his platform to challenge his own party. “If you believe LGBTQ+ people are equal, then why stay silent when your party targets us daily?” she said. “Say it on Fox News. Say it on the House floor. Say the president is wrong to vilify LGBTQ+ people. That’s what courage looks like.”
Lawler’s congressional record has occasionally aligned with LGBTQ+ advocacy, particularly on issues related to mental health and crisis intervention. Earlier this year, he joined a bipartisan coalition urging the Department of Health and Human Services to preserve the LGBTQ+ component of the national 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. The Trump administration had announced plans to dismantle the “Press 3” option, which connected callers to counselors trained in LGBTQ+ issues and was a lifeline for youth facing discrimination. Members of both parties condemned the decision as potentially dangerous, and Lawler signed onto the effort to protect the service. However, it was ultimately shut down in July, after fielding more than a million contacts since its creation — a move that many lawmakers, including Lawler, called cruel and reckless.
But Lawler has also voted to prohibit service members and their families from accessing gender-affirming care, to prohibit Pride flags from being displayed on federal property, and to block transgender kids from participating in sports.
Advocates point to Lawler’s support of the bipartisan effort to preserve the Press 3 option as evidence that he can be persuaded to act when community pressure is applied. But Malloy said that even casting meaningful votes doesn’t serve as a substitute for moral leadership and accused Lawler of “trying to play moderate.” “At some point, he has to choose between what’s politically safe and what’s right,” she said.
Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson lifted up Lawler’s statement on Instagram, writing that “calls to treat LGBTQ+ people with humanity matter. They matter in our classrooms. They matter in our workplaces. And they especially matter in Congress.” Robinson added that “it doesn’t end with words — it must follow with actions. Vitriol puts us in danger. But votes that target our communities do even deeper harm.”
Robinson also pledged that the HRC and its partners, including the Rockland County Pride Center, would hold elected officials accountable over keeping “communities safe, with words and actions.”
Online, the reaction to Lawler’s post reflected the split within his constituency. One commenter wrote, “Actions speak louder than words,” while another accused Lawler of hypocrisy and called on him to stand up to Trump. Others praised the message, with one person writing, “Nice to finally see your support on these important matters. I hope your actions uphold your words.”
For Malloy, the tension created by Lawler’s statement reflects the national divide — as well as a potential for change. “We cannot give up on talking to our members of Congress just because they’re Republicans,” she said, adding that “justice delayed is justice denied.” “I don’t care who takes us over the goal line, but we have to get there.”
__The Advocate__ contacted Lawler’s office for an interview, but he was not available on short notice.
![5 CORONER’S CONCERNS
During the course of the inquest the evidence revealed matters giving rise to concern. In my opinion there is a risk that future deaths could occur unless action is taken. In the circumstances it is my statutory duty to report to you.
The MATTERS OF CONCERN are as follows. – Waiting lists are far too long for first appointment at a Gender Dysphoria clinic.
6 ACTION SHOULD BE TAKEN
In my opinion action should be taken to prevent future deaths and I believe you [AND/OR your organisation] have the power to take such action.
7 YOUR RESPONSE
You are under a duty to respond to this report within 56 days of the date of this report, Namely by Friday19th September2025I, the coroner, may extend the period. Your response must contain details of action taken or proposed to be taken, setting out the timetable for action. Otherwise you must explain why no action is proposed.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:5kydynj3pme74rk5ynru3m6d/bafkreifi3rhkegnyj5y4bx6hhv22fl3olt5ldjppfvdoeket75kgngjwgu@jpeg)
