New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani has appointed Abby Stein, a trans woman and Rabbi, to his expansive transition team. The choice in line with many of Mamdanis promises has upset some folks on the right.Before being appointed to the transition team, Stein supported his mayoral bid, appearing in his Jews for Zohran campaign. We know Zohran will fight to make our city affordable and safe for our families, Stein said in an ad. As Jews, as rabbis, as New Yorkers, we believe that all people deserve to thrive. Zohran agrees. Related Zohran Mamdani is going to force gay men to transition & other stupid things straight media says Mamdani, who won the NYC mayoral election at the start of November, beating out former Governor Andrew Cuomo, will be sworn in on January 1, 2026. Ahead of that, he is setting up a wealth of transition committees, which will help prepare his administration to hit the ground running on day one.Stein was raised in an Orthodox Hasidic Jewish family. After suppressing her gender identity since childhood, she left the Hasidic community in 2012 and came out as trans in 2015. Insights for the LGBTQ+ community Subscribe to our briefing for insights into how politics impacts the LGBTQ+ community and more. Subscribe to our Newsletter today Now identifying as ex-Orthodox, Stein is still a practicing Rabbi, serving part-time at Brooklyns Kolot Chayein synagogue. She released her first book in 2019, a memoir titled Becoming Eve: My Journey from Ultra Orthodox Rabbi to Transgender Woman. That memoir has since been adapted into the off-Broadway play of the same name.Stein has made headlines both for her coming out story and her activism, which is primarily related to her support for Palestine and her condemnation of Israels genocide in Gaza. Her beliefs led to her being kicked out of the White House Pride Party in 2024. Some right-wingers are, predictably, not happy about Steins inclusion on Mamdanis transition team, which he claims includes more than 400 experts across 17 committees. Conservatives have taken issue both with her gender identity and with her pro-Palestine position. However, some supportive voices have pointed out that those are hardly negatives for Mamdanis stances. so in other words an absolute queen https://t.co/S0pySoade5 matt (@mattxiv) November 28, 2025Mamdanis campaign was vehemently pro-LGBTQ+ throughout and included appearances at Pride, visits to LGBTQ+ nightclubs, and a notable video highlighting trans activist Sylvia Rivera. Mamdani has also pledged to protect trans New Yorkers.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.