On Oct. 11, National Coming Out Day, members of New York City’s LGBTQ community did just that—to show their support for mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani.
Speaking to the crowd that had gathered at the AIDS Memorial in Greenwich Village, the founder of Gays for Zohran, Katia Portela, said, “Zohran has changed the game for trans people” and “LGBT New Yorkers deserve a city we can afford.” She noted that of Mamdani’s volunteers—of which there have been over 90,000 over the course of the election season, according to his campaign—there were many queer people. (Gays for Zohran, who organized this event, is a volunteer affinity group and does not speak officially on behalf of the campaign.)
Next up was drag queen, Kiki Ball-Change, who described herself as “gay, Jewish, native New Yorker.” She spoke about the gentrification of the West Village and Chelsea and Hell’s Kitchen and the difficulty of making a living as a performer.
“Queer people make a neighborhood fabulous and then we get priced out,” she said. “Zohran gives hope that artists and night life people can stay here.” She ended her speech with a lively performance of “Love Shack.”
She was followed by Plasma, star of Ru Paul’s Drag Race, who told the crowd she fled to New York City from a small town in Texas, the classic gay transplant story. While she was speaking, Zohran Mamdani arrived to much applause and took the stage. It started to rain hard but that did not stop the queen from performing a rousing version of “New York, New York” as the candidate watched in delight.
On stage next to Mamdani were former State Senator Tom Duane and current State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal (both open gay politicians). Hoylman-Sigal is running for Manhattan Borough President.
The rain did not dampen the crowd’s spirits when it was time for Mamdani to address the group, now huddling under umbrellas. He talked directly about LGBTQ issues, indicating we have to stand up for queer New Yorkers every day, not just during Pride and we need to go beyond the language of protection.
“We have to do more than protect,” said Mamdani. “We have to celebrate. We have to cherish. We have to recognize that we can no longer just talk about tolerance. We have to understand belonging. You all belong in the city.”
Mamdani stated that we cannot talk about the history of this city without the history of queer New Yorkers, as he referenced Stonewall icons Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson. He said that we do not want this city to become a museum, but a living breathing testament.
“We are looking to fulfill those ideals in the vision of this campaign. It means making this city an LGBTQIA+ sanctuary city,” he said to applause. Then the candidate proposed creating an office of LGBTQIA+ affairs to provide housing and gender affirming care.
He noted that New York was known as the city that gave rise to Trump. “Now it’s time for us to show what the alternative to Donald Trump can look like,” said Mamdani, who underscored that protecting and cherishing queer New Yorkers will be at the heart of an agenda to transform the most expensive city in the United States to a city affordable for everyone.
The young candidate wrapped up his speech by acknowledging gay activists and gay elected officials who paved the way and that we must learn from these leaders to stand up for queer New Yorkers. Mamdani reminded us that we were at the site of the AIDS Memorial, a reminder of what happens when the city/state/nation betrays queer people—and that these are issues of life and death.
Impressive speaker
This was the first time I heard Mamdani speak in person and I was impressed. He is a great speaker, a natural politician. Can he deliver this affordable city? I hope so.
While at the rally I bumped into veteran gay activist, Andy Humm. I asked about his ardent support for Mamdani. “I’m in the LGBTQ movement for more than 50 years and have never heard a politician speak so eloquently and specifically about how he and his administration will serve and include LGBTQ people—and all New Yorkers. His grasp of our issues is deep and personal,” said Humm, co-host of Gay USA, the long running TV show.
“His opponent, Andrew Cuomo, has a record of being an impediment to our advancement until he got on board (late) in the fight for marriage equality,” continued Humm. “We don’t want a bully such as Cuomo as mayor. We want a compassionate and forward-thinking leader such as Mamdani.”
Before the rally started, I listened in while State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal spoke to another reporter.
“Public officials need to support the LGBT community while we’re under attack. We seem to be going backwards,” he said. “The mayor’s office is a focal point for protecting LGBT people. We need a mayor who is going to stand next to our attorney general.”
