LGBTQ leaders in New York City are making their voices heard in the competitive special election for the City Council’s Third District, which encompasses the Stonewall Inn and the surrounding queer strongholds on the west side of Manhattan.
State Senator Erik Bottcher’s out gay former chief of staff, Carl Wilson, is running to succeed his old boss in a district where four consecutive out lawmakers have held the seat: Tom Duane, Christine Quinn, Corey Johnson, and Bottcher. Bottcher left his City Council seat when he was elected to the State Senate in early February.
The race for District 3 also includes Lindsey Boylan, who made headlines in 2021 when she accused then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo of sexual harassment; Layla Law-Gisiko, who serves as a district leader and president of the City Club of New York; and Leslie Boghosian Murphy, who chairs Community Board 4.
The Council district’s longstanding reputation as an LGBTQ seat dates back to Duane’s first election in 1991 at a time when the district was carved out to give the community representation in the City Council. Ever since then, however, the City Council’s queer representation has expanded significantly — and now there are out lawmakers in all but one borough.
Still, discussion about the district’s historical significance resurfaced after Mayor Mamdani announced his endorsement of Boylan on April 17. That same day, as reported by AM New York, Wilson delivered remarks at a rally during which he argued that the race “is really about the future of the West Side, and it’s about the future of having an LGBTQ representative of this district, the birthplace of Stonewall and the modern gay rights movement, at a time when we are under immense threat from Washington, D.C.”
A subsequent report in City & State quoted an anonymous LGBTQ consultant who argued that there has been “a trend of Mamdani hurting the political aspirations of gay candidates,” and named some examples of out candidates he did not support in select races. That prompted backlash on social media, with some of the candidates cited — like Assembly candidate Brian Romero — pushing back on the anonymous quote.
The mayor has, overall, enjoyed widespread support across the LGBTQ community and has been a vocal advocate for the LGBTQ community since his time in the State Legislature. In March, he announced the new Mayor’s Office of LGBTQIA+ Affairs.
Other LGBTQ leaders also defended the mayor — including Assemblymember Diana Moreno, who succeeded Mamdani in the State Legislature.
“I’m a queer woman who proudly received @ZohranMamdani’s endorsement to replace him in the Assembly,” Moreno wrote on X on April 20. “I’m thrilled to endorse the fearless @LindseyBoylan for City Council.”
Others, like Quinn and Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club president Allen Roskoff, were quoted by Gothamist as they defended the effort to maintain LGBTQ representation in the district.
“History matters,” Quinn told Gothamist. “[It’s] the result of decades and decades of people struggling for representation and people putting themselves forward. Let’s go to the present. We have a president and Republican control of the House and the Senate and states all over the union where the LGBT community is under attack. Make no mistake about it.”
In follow-up social media posts, Quinn offered a vote of confidence for the mayor’s approach towards queer New Yorkers, writing that “any attempt to portray @NYCMayor as anything less then [sic] a super ally of the LGBTQ+ community is wrong!”
Melissa Sklarz, an out transgender elected official and longtime political activist, told Gay City News she believes the mayor is working to expand his political coalition.
“I came of age politically supporting Tom Duane and Christine Quinn for City Council when I lived on West 14th Street,” Sklarz told Gay City News on April 20. “As we have seen this primary season, the mayor is very supportive of his DSA and WFP political allies. But Zohran is a visionary leader, and his desire to improve our city will lead him into expanding his coalition.”
Duane, the first out person to represent District 3 and the first out individual to win a City Council race, emphasized in an interview with Gay City News that the issue of equal rights for queer people is not the same now as it was when he was first elected more than three decades ago. He recalled a time after his retirement from political office when he attended an event where the out members of the City Council stood together for a picture — a moment which he said highlighted the progress the City Council made in queer representation.
“This was my dream come true,” Duane said. “This was the way it was supposed to be.”
Duane, who has endorsed Law-Gisiko in this race, said he believes there is no longer a need for District 3 to have LGBTQ representation.
“The need for setting aside districts for specific groups to have a say is over because people can win anyway,” Duane said, pointing to examples of out candidates, such as Congressmember Ritchie Torres of the Bronx, who have won City Council races in districts without previous LGBTQ representation. “If there were not gay people in office, that would be an issue, but there are and always will be in New York, and that’s the dream.”
All of the candidates in the race for District 3 are vowing to stand up for the LGBTQ community. Wilson’s platform calls for investments in inclusive shelters, supportive housing, and strong anti-discrimination enforcement; expanding youth programming and advocating for affirming schools; and advancing policies to uplift trans and gender non-conforming individuals.
“It’s true that I’m the LGBTQ+ candidate in this race, but I’m also the candidate with the longest track record of on-the-ground service in this district and the experience to deliver from day one,” Wilson told Gay City News on April 20. “For the past decade, I’ve worked block by block fighting for tenants, immigrants, and underrepresented communities. There are many factors that matter in choosing who should represent this district, and I’m proud to bring both lived experience and a proven record of getting things done.“
Boylan’s campaign platform includes calls for a $20 million city fund for gender-affirming care, a $15 million legal defense fund to protect queer and trans communities, and twice as much funding for the New York City Human Rights Commission’s law enforcement unit. In response to a question about LGBTQ representation in the district, Boylan defended her decision to run in the district, telling Gay City News that she would be “honored” to represent it in the City Council.
“I have been proud to stand with the LGBTQ community my entire career, and will continue to do so in the Council, especially as we face federal attacks on gender-affirming care for our trans siblings and youth,” Boylan told Gay City News. “My campaign is about all the voters of this district, trans and queer people included, and building a city we can all afford to live in and be proud of. Some people’s needs are broadly shared: We all want a home we can afford, streets that are clean and safe, parks in walking distance, childcare that doesn’t cost another rent. Some people’s needs are more specific, like protecting access to gender-affirming care or funding for robust community healthcare programs in the gay community. In all cases, I will seek to fulfill all the needs of my district in the Council.”
Law-Gisiko’s vision includes strengthening funding for housing for LGBTQ youth, protecting gender-affirming care, preserving historic LGBTQ spaces in the district, supporting trans-inclusive policies in schools, and ensuring NYPD training and accountability when it comes to hate crimes.
A fourth candidate, Murphy, said on her campaign website that the district’s neighborhoods “reflect the strength and diversity of the LGBTQ+ family better than anywhere in the city” and vowed to “extend support for high quality, gender-affirming health care and access to safe spaces within our community.”
Notably, LGBTQ leaders have endorsed several different candidates in the race. While Duane has backed Law-Gisiko, Wilson’s supporters include Bottcher, Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal, State Assemblymember Tony Simone, Bronx Councilmember Justin Sanchez, Queens Councilmember Lynn Schulman, Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum, and two former occupants of the seat who both served as speaker: Johnson and Quinn. The Stonewall Democratic Club of New York City and the Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club — two citywide LGBTQ clubs — have also backed Wilson.
When Bottcher endorsed Wilson, he said in an email that his former chief of staff “knows District 3 block by block” and “understands our buildings, our small businesses, our tenants, and our families because he has spent years showing up and fighting for them.”
Boylan, on the other hand, has also welcomed support from LGBTQ leaders, including Queens Councilmember Tiffany Cabán, Brooklyn State Senator Jabari Brisport, Rabbi Abby Stein, activist and drag artist Marti Cummings, and attorney Jared Trujillo, among others.
In endorsing Boylan, Brisport expressed that he’s “proud to endorse a progressive champion like Lindsey who will be an ally in the fights to tax the rich, fund universal child care, protect our trans and queer neighbors, and keep ICE out of our communities.”
Early voting is already underway in the race. Election day is April 28.
