In front of a packed crowd of supporters at the Harlem Tavern on election night, State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal declared victory and made history in the general election for Manhattan borough president, making him New York City’s first out borough president.
“Being the first LGBTQ borough president, I think, is important for representation so that young queer kids who are interested in public service know that the sky’s the limit,” Hoylman-Sigal told Gay City News at a jam-packed watch party in Central Harlem.
Hoylman-Sigal, a Democrat who has served in the State Senate since 2013, has represented the west side of Manhattan for over a decade, first in the 27th district and later in the redrawn 47th district. He has helped pass over 350 bills in Albany, according to his campaign website, including the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA), the repeal of the ban on Walking While Trans, and the state’s ban on conversion therapy practiced on minors. He has also been a strong advocate for youth access to gender-affirming care.
By midnight, Hoylman-Sigal had received 80% of the 478,368 votes counted across Manhattan, according to unofficial election results. Standing next to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, he addressed his supporters.
“History is happening in Manhattan tonight,” declared Hoylman-Sigal, who will take office in January. “I know that we have a lot of work to do, but we are united, we are going to overcome the divisions that we’ve all felt over the last six months.”
In an interview, Hoylman-Sigal told Gay City News he plans to show up for LGBTQ New Yorkers as borough president.
“I, as Manhattan borough president, am going to make it part of my mission to protect the most vulnerable in our borough and certainly, queer homeless youth are at the top of that list because they need help,” Hoylman-Sigal said. “We know there’s a war on transgender young people and LGBTQ kids, and sadly that’s reflected in rates of suicide ideation, poverty and homelessness.”
Hoylman-Sigal’s top priority is creating affordable housing, he said, acknowledging that “the rates of homelessness and poverty among LGBTQ homeless youth are greater than in the general population, particularly in LGBTQ communities of color.”
Jeffrey LeFrancois, a Hell’s Kitchen resident who voted for Hoylman-Sigal, praised the incoming borough president.
“Brad has been in the trenches for a long time,” LeFrancois said. “He’s not someone who people vote for because he’s a member of [the LGBTQ] community, but because he’s overwhelmingly qualified for the jobs he runs for.”
“I think he is truly one of the best public servants that the city could have,” Hoylman-Sigal’s campaign manager Nicole Radke told Gay City News. “I think he does a really amazing job of connecting with voters … he just somehow knows about everything going on in the city.”
Bragg, who declared victory in his race against Republican Maud Maron and independent candidate Diana Florence with 73% of the vote, told Gay City News he was committed to ensuring the safety of the LGBTQ community.
“LGBTQ hate crimes persistently remain near the top of our docket for hate crime,” Bragg said. “So we know it’s an underreported crime and we want to encourage people to come forward, work with our office.”
The bustling restaurant, filled to the brim with supporters, politicians, and political insiders, including Congressmember Jerrold Nadler, out gay Assemblymember Tony Simone, and Assemblymembers Linda Rosenthal and Micah Lasher.
Right as Hoylman-Sigal was about to take to the stage, the room erupted in cheers when the TV screens behind him announced that Democratic nominee and State Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani, an LGBTQ ally, was the projected winner of the mayor’s race.
Hoylman-Sigal, who endorsed Mamdani, told Gay City News he supports the future mayor’s campaign platform for LGBTQ New Yorkers, which include a $65 million investment in public hospitals and community health centers to expand access to gender-affirming care and the creation of an office of LGBTQIA+ affairs.
“The rates of HIV among communities of color are still extremely worrisome, and we need to do more to make certain that PEP and PrEP are widely available. I’d like to see the end of copays and move toward a healthcare system that doesn’t discriminate,” Hoylman-Sigal said. “With a Mamdani administration that has already made some of those tenets part of their broader policy, I’m hopeful that we can get some of that done.”
Hoylman-Sigal and Mamdani already have the shared experience of serving in the New York State Legislature — just in different houses — and Hoylman-Sigal said they have a strong relationship.
“There’s a natural kinship that I hope to build upon and benefit our community in Manhattan, but in every borough as well,” Hoylman-Sigal emphasized.
