NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- Five LGBTQ+ political organizations have announced their intent to boycott an upcoming Pride Month event that Mayor Eric Adams’ is hosting at Gracie Manor on June 7.
The groups denounced Adams for including two homophobic pastors in his administration and for policies they deem harmful to LGBTQ+ people.
The coalition was organized by the Stonewall Democrats of New York City.
That group is joined by the Lambda Independent Democrats of Brooklyn, the Lesbian and Gay Democratic Club of Queens and Equality New York.
The Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club was not a signatory to the statement announcing the boycott, but later announced its intent to join.
“Mayor Adams has tested the boundaries of the LGBTQ community to see where he can overstep — including who he can afford to disregard for the sake of his own interests,” wrote the organizations in a joint press release. “Mayor Adams’ only interests are his own and prioritizing the needs of the policing and surveillance institutions in the city at the expense of investment into education, mental health, community health and LGBTQ services.”
A spokesperson for Eric Adams office told the New York Daily News the mayor’s office is committed to equality.
“We’re excited to have already taken action to support priorities of the community and look forward to making additional announcements during Pride and in the months ahead,” said the spokesperson. “Our team is committed to serving all New Yorkers equally and fairly, regardless of who they love or how they identify, and is excited to host a Pride celebration at Gracie Mansion next week.”
The boycotting coalition also denounced Adams’ policing policies, including his plan to revive the NYPD vice squad, which is by the coalition’s estimation “an abusive group of cops that disproportionately targeted marginalized groups - particularly [trans and gender non-conforming] people of color.”
The groups listed five demands to end the boycott:
-Firing homophobic pastors Fernando Cabrera and Erick Selgado
-Establishing clearer goals for supporting LGBTQ+ New Yorkers, including re-investment in the Unity Project — the city’s resource program for LGBTQ+ youth
-Ending Adams’ homeless encampment clearance program
-Rescinding the decision to re-deploy plainclothes police officers
-Ending the use of solitary confinement in New York City prisons, which the coalition blames for the death of Layleen Polanco
Polanco was a 27-year-old trans woman who died of a seizure in 2019 while in solitary confinement at Rikers Island with no one monitoring her despite knowledge of her epilepsy.
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