New York City Council Speaker Christine
Quinn's yet-to-be-announced bid to run the city has been endorsed by
the state's leading gay rights group.
Nathan M. Schaefer, executive director
of Empire State Pride Agenda, announced the endorsement in an email
to supporters.
“I could not be more enthusiastic
about sharing the following announcement with you: the Empire State
Pride Agenda’s Political Action Committee has just announced our
endorsement of New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn for
Mayor of New York City,” he wrote.
“This is an amazing moment for us and
our movement. We have the opportunity to seat an out lesbian at the
helm of the biggest city in the nation. The Pride Agenda endorsement
recognizes Christine Quinn’s unmatched record on LGBT rights over
the last two decades. As Director of the Gay and Lesbian
Anti-Violence Project she fought bias crimes citywide and insisted
that law enforcement pay greater attention to anti-gay violence.
During her years as Chair of the New York City Council Health
Committee, she successfully protected funding for HIV and AIDS
services. As Speaker of New York City Council, she spearheaded the
effort to pass laws ensuring dignity and protections against bullying
for all students and was a leader in the historic, successful
campaign for marriage equality for all New Yorkers.”
“Christine Quinn is a leader who
knows how to get things done, and she has a record of hard-fought
wins for the LGBT community. Christine Quinn is a leader whose grit
and heart has made an unmistakable difference in the fight for LGBT
equality.”
If elected in November, Quinn, who
married her longtime partner, lawyer Kim Catullo, in May, would
become the city's first openly gay mayor. And the first legally
married, openly gay politician to lead a major U.S. city.