BOSTON — Mayor Michelle Wu on Thursday issued a dramatic public statement warning of what she described as “federal threats” to gender-affirming care, claiming unnamed actions in Washington are aimed at “shutting down hospital services” and interfering with private medical decisions. The statement was shared on her Instagram account alongside branding from the City of Boston’s LGBTQIA2S+ Advancement office and the Boston Public Health Commission.

The post called the supposed federal move “a cruel, political attack on the LGBTQ+ community.” It also asserted that Boston residents “still have access to gender-affirming care, which remains legal, protected and available in Massachusetts.”

The statement comes just days after a video first highlighted by Mass Daily News this week went global, in which Wu made remarks about Somali Americans that ignited nationwide controversy. In the video, she strongly praised the Somali community — saying you “cannot talk about any achievement that the city of Boston has had in safety, jobs, economic development and education without talking about the Somali community that has lifted our city up, and that Boston is proud and grateful for our Somali American neighbors.” Critics online pointed to that clip as an example of the mayor engaging in symbolic, identity-focused messaging that plays well on social media but, in their view, distracts from more pressing local issues.

Supporters say the comments were intended to defend a community facing prejudice, especially after federal immigration actions drew criticism. Detractors say the praise was over the top and not rooted in the city’s demographics or local realities.

Either way, the recent gender-affirming care statement fits a broader pattern of high-profile cultural positioning from Wu — one that frequently elevates national flashpoints and identity politics while some residents feel everyday quality-of-life problems go unresolved.

Housing costs, public safety, transit outages, property taxes, and downtown business closures remain front-of-mind for many Boston voters. Yet City Hall’s most visible posts continue to spotlight culture-war themes that travel well on Instagram and TikTok, generating likes and headlines long after the facts on the ground stay the same.

For now, the mayor’s own statement confirms that access to gender-affirming care in Boston remains unchanged. But the aggressive tone underlines a clear intent: Mayor Wu wants Boston framed as a frontline city in national partisan battles — even when local conditions do not reflect an immediate crisis.