PROGRAM

As we mark Pride Month, Roosevelt House is pleased to present the fourth in a series of 2021 Zoom election forums, designed to give young and first-time voters the opportunity to explore policy issues with those running for office in the June primaries (Primary Day is June 22). We continue with an event co-presented by the Roosevelt House LGBTQ Policy Center featuring candidates for City Council who are seeking to maintain and strengthen its LGBTQ+ representation—as current LGBTQ+ Council members reach the end of their respective terms. Invitations to participate were sent to all New York City Council candidates endorsed by the LGBTQ Victory Fund, “the only national organization dedicated to electing openly LGBTQ people who can further equality at all levels of government;” tonight’s featured guests are the ones who accepted our invitation.

 

With only a few weeks remaining before New York voters choose new candidates for citywide offices like mayor and comptroller, a pivotal moment for LGBTQ+ local leadership is unfolding in neighborhoods across the city. To help the Hunter community understand the importance of City Council elections, and to guide voters in making their choices, students and other community members will pose questions to participating candidates on the issues they believe most directly impact LGBTQ+ New Yorkers.

Erin Mayo-Adammoderator, is the Director of the Roosevelt House LGBTQ Policy Center, an assistant professor in Hunter’s Political Science Department, and a member of the Roosevelt House Public Policy Faculty and Curriculum Committee. She is the author of Queer Alliances: How Power Shapes Political Movement Formation. Her research focuses on American politics, law and society, and political theory—bridging scholarship on social movements, public policy, intersectionality, gender, sexuality, migration, and labor politics.

Participating Candidates:

Erik Bottcher is Chief of Staff to New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson and an LGBTQ+ rights advocate running to represent Council District 3, which includes Greenwich Village, Chelsea, Hell’s Kitchen, and parts of SoHo and the Upper West Side. Previously, he served as Governor Andrew Cuomo’s liaison to New York State’s LGBTQ+ Community, where he was part of the team that helped win passage of marriage equality in New York.

Marti Cummings is a drag artist, activist, and television producer running to represent Council District 7, comprising Manhattan Valley, Manhattanville, Morningside Heights, and Hamilton Heights. They serve on Community Board 9 and as an advisor on the New York City Nightlife Advisory Board. During the 2016 election, Marti established the Hell’s Kitchen Democrats. If elected, Marti will be the first non-binary member of the New York City Council.

Crystal Hudson is a community organizer running to represent Council District 35, which includes Prospect Heights, Crown Heights, Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, and Bed-Stuy. During the pandemic, Crystal created Greater Prospect Heights Mutual Aid to help meet local food needs and led an effort to oppose over-policing in her neighborhood by penning a letter to the mayor with more than a 1,000 community member signatures. If elected, Crystal will be the first out, queer Black woman elected to the New York City Council.

Kristin Richardson Jordan is an author and activist running to represent Council District 9, comprised of Central Harlem, Morningside Heights, Upper West Side, and East Harlem. An active participant in the Black Lives Matter and Occupy Wall Street movements, she’s been a member of AALUSC (African Ancestral Lesbians United for Societal Change), Democratic Socialists of America, and LT-ACT (Lenox Terrace Tenants Association). If elected, she will be the first out Black lesbian to represent Central Harlem on the New York City Council.

Jeffrey Omura is an actor and labor leader running to represent Council District 6, which includes Central Park, Lincoln Square, and parts of the Upper West Side. He helped create and lead #FairWageOnStage, a grassroots campaign to ensure that stage managers and actors receive fair pay. Jeffrey was elected to the board of Actors’ Equity Association, where he’s negotiated for better wages and benefits for union members. If elected, he would be the first openly gay person elected to represent District 6.

Alfonso Quiroz is a community activist and LGBTQ+ rights advocate running to represent Council District 25, comprising Elmhurst and Jackson Heights in Queens. With roots in organized labor, he previously has served as a member of Community Board 3, the President of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Democratic District Leader, and Deputy Chief of Staff for Council District 25.

 

Dear Friend of Roosevelt House:

Thank you for attending our public programs in such great numbers during these fraught eight months of lockdown and social distancing. Since March, when the pandemic first struck New York and the house closed its doors, we have welcomed more than 10,000 attendees to Roosevelt House Zoom events. Our priority has been, and remains, assembling the best thinkers and authors we can bring before you, in both new and encore programming, to help us both to remember past crises and challenges, and navigate the challenges of the current crisis. Even though we very much miss welcoming you to Roosevelt House in person, we pledge to you that, as long as we must, we will continue featuring opportunities for civic engagement online.

To fulfill these goals we look to you, more than ever, for your crucially needed financial support. We ask that you help us navigate these unprecedented times—and opportunities—by contributing to Roosevelt House so that our programming can continue robustly.

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Many thanks—and thank you, as always, for your loyalty and generosity.

For information on all upcoming Hunter@Home events and to watch past events, visit hunter.cuny.edu/hunter-on-demand


City Council Candidates on the Future of LGBTQ+ Representation | Posted on May 24th, 2021 | Public Programs