IMPACT
The work,
and what it has moved.
Impact isn't only what we count. It's the laws changed, the leaders developed, and the communities that now hold power they didn't have before.
Advocacy Wins
What we've helped move.
Win 01
Coalition Member
GENDA
Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act
Landmark state legislation prohibiting discrimination based on gender identity or expression. NYTAG worked alongside a broad coalition to secure passage after more than a decade of advocacy.
Win 02
Coalition Partner
Walking While Trans
Repeal of the loitering statute
The repeal of Section 240.37 of New York State Penal Law, which had been used disproportionately to profile and criminalize transgender women, especially women of color.
Win 03
Lead Advocate
Lorena Borjas Fund
Transgender Wellness & Equity Fund
A dedicated New York State fund named for beloved advocate Lorena Borjas, supporting community-based organizations providing wellness services to transgender New Yorkers.
HOW CHANGE COMPOUNDS
Individual · Community · Policy.
01 · INDIVIDUAL
A fellow gains skills, confidence, and community. One person leaves NYTAG able to lead in rooms they were once shut out of.
02 · COMMUNITY
Fellows become mentors, organizers, and staff. A cohort becomes a coalition. Community capacity grows generation over generation.
03 · POLICY
Community power becomes legislative wins. GENDA, the repeal of Walking While Trans, the Lorena Borjas Fund. The floor rises for everyone.
The numbers.
FY2025
71
YAF APPLICATIONS
88%
COMPLETION RATE
26
FELLOWS ENROLLED
9
PAID INTERNSHIPS PLACED
23
GRADUATES
5+
YEARS OF STATEWIDE REACH
FEATURED STORY
Athena Rivera.
"NYTAG didn't just teach me advocacy. It showed me I was allowed to lead."
Athena joined NYTAG's Youth Advocacy Fellowship in 2020. She graduated, stayed connected through the Alumni Program, and was invited to join the Community Advisory Board within a year.
Today she's the Community Engagement Coordinator, a paid staff role at NYTAG. She trains new fellows, coordinates statewide events, and speaks at policy convenings alongside the leadership that once trained her.
Athena's arc is what the pipeline is designed to make possible. And she's not the only one.
What fellows say.
VOICES FROM THE WORK
“
Leadership is not a single mold. NYTAG showed me there are as many ways to lead as there are people in the room.
ALMA · 2023 COHORT
“
I came in thinking advocacy was a stage. I left knowing it's a practice, and I do it every day now.
EBONEY · 2022 COHORT
“
The Fellowship gave me community I didn't know I was allowed to want. That's the real transformation.
MIDNIGHT · 2024 COHORT