One
of
the
nation’s
most
powerful
openly
gay
elected
officials
is
a
lesbian
who
earlier
this
month
became
the
first
woman
elected
speaker
of
the
New
York
City
Council.
Christine
Quinn,
a
member
of
the
Council
since
1999,
was
chosen
speaker
by
her
colleagues
in
a
near-unanimous
vote.
Although
Quinn
was
elected
by
a
vote
of
50-0,
with
one
councilmember
abstaining,
the
battle
for
the
job
took
place
behind
the
scenes
in
the
weeks
prior
to
the
vote.
City
Hall
observers
say
Quinn
showed
extraordinary
political
and
interpersonal
skills
by
fending
off
at
least
six
challengers
before
the
race
narrowed
to
a
battle
between
Quinn
and
Councilmember
Bill
de
Blasio
of
Brooklyn.
In
a
political
move
that
astonished
many
New
York
political
activists,
Quinn
lined
up
support
from
powerful
Democratic
Party
leaders
in
the
boroughs
of
Queens,
Brooklyn
and
the
Bronx
after
securing
backing
from
her
Council
colleagues
in
Manhattan.
The
leaders
in
Queens,
Brooklyn
and
the
Bronx,
often
referred
to
as
party
bosses,
persuaded
most
of
the
councilmembers
from
their
respective
boroughs
to
pledge
their
votes
to
Quinn
over
de
Blasio.
“Let
me
say
that
I
am
incredibly
proud
that
in
the
most
diverse
city
in
the
world,
diversity
is
seen
as
a
strength
and
not
an
impediment,”
Quinn
said
Jan.
5
during
an
emotional
acceptance
speech
at
City
Hall.
A
New
York
Times
editorial
acknowledged
that
any
candidate
for
speaker
must
participate
in
“backroom
politics”
to
win
election.
But
the
Jan.
8
Times
editorial
called
on
Quinn
to
“establish
priorities
independent
of
the
county
party
bosses
and
other
forces
who
helped
elevate
her
to
speaker.”
In
a
telephone
interview
with
the
Blade,
Quinn
said
the
support
she
received
from
party
leaders
and
councilmembers
who
have
opposed
gay
rights
in
the
past
was
based
on
their
ability
to
work
together
on
issues
they
agree
on,
such
as
housing,
health
care
and
improved
schools.
“The
vote
says
a
couple
of
things,”
Quinn
said.
“It
says
women
and
the
LGBT
community
are
making
progress.
It
also
says
people
should
be
judged
by
the
totality
of
their
record
on
a
broad
range
of
issues.”
Will
she
be
beholden
to
the
party
bosses
who
helped
her
win
the
speaker’s
post?
“I
am
gratified
and
grateful
to
everyone
who
supported
me,”
Quinn
said.
“But
I
have
always
been
an
independent
person.
The
only
promises
I’ve
made
is
to
have
an
open
door
policy
and
to
consider
the
proposals
by
everybody.”
With
her
domestic
partner,
Kim
Catullo,
and
her
79-year-old
father,
Lawrence
Quinn,
seated
in
the
audience,
Quinn
pledged
to
work
closely
with
Mayor
Michael
Bloomberg
and
fellow
councilmembers
to
address
the
needs
of
all
New
Yorkers,
regardless
of
ethnic,
economic
or
political
background
Quinn
is
considered
one
of
the
Council’s
most
progressive
and
liberal
members
and
has
been
a
leading
advocate
of
gay
rights.
Quinn’s
supporters,
including
lesbian
activist
Lorna
Gottesman,
vice
president
of
the
Gay
&
Lesbian
Independent
Democrats
of
Manhattan,
insisted
that
the
new
speaker
would
not
be
indebted
to
anyone
other
than
the
people
of
New
York
City.
“Christine
Quinn
is
an
independent
person,”
Gottesman
said.
“She
works
through
the
party
system.
But
she
has
her
own
vision,
and
she
is
her
own
person.”
Matt
Foreman,
a
longtime
New
York
gay
rights
leader
who
is
executive
director
of
the
National
Gay
&
Lesbian
Task
Force,
said
Quinn
will
play
a
lead
role
in
shaping
and
approving
the
city’s
$50.2
billion
budget.
He
said
that,
as
speaker,
Quinn
has
authority
to
release
or
block
legislation
before
the
Council
and
decides
on
councilmembers’
committee
assignments.
“The
speaker
has
enormous
powers,”
he
said.
“In
terms
of
political
influence,
she
becomes
the
most
powerful
openly
lesbian
or
gay
elected
official
in
the
country.”
Quinn,
39,
represents
a
district
in
Manhattan
that
includes
the
heavily
gay
neighborhood
of
Chelsea.
She
replaced
gay
Councilmember
Tom
Duane,
who
was
elected
to
the
New
York
State
Assembly.
For
five
years,
Quinn
was
Duane’s
chief
of
staff
on
the
City
Council.
She
also
served
as
executive
director
of
the
New
York
City
Anti-Violence
Project,
which
monitors
anti-gay
violence.
Quinn
was
born
and
raised
on
Long
Island
and
is
a
product
of
what
she
describes
as
a
proud
Irish-American
family.
She
graduated
from
Trinity
College
in
Connecticut
with
a
degree
in
urban
studies
and
education.
After
moving
to
New
York
City,
she
became
involved
in
gay
rights
and
AIDS
causes,
joining
a
number
of
activist
groups,
including
the
AIDS
protest
group
Act
Up.
Foreman
said
Quinn
was
arrested
at
least
twice
in
demonstrations
against
an
Irish-American
group
that
banned
a
gay
Irish
contingent
from
marching
in
New
York’s
famed
St.
Patrick’s
Day
Parade.
She
also
is
credited
with
helping
push
through
the
City
Council
a
controversial
“equal
benefits”
bill
that
would
require
companies
receiving
city
contracts
of
$100,000
or
more
to
provide
employee
domestic
partnership
benefits
if
the
companies
provide
similar
benefits
to
married
employees.
Among
those
who
agreed
to
back
Quinn
was
Councilmember
Simcha
Felder,
an
Orthodox
Jewish
leader
who
has
opposed
gay
rights
legislation.
Felder
represents
a
district
in
Brooklyn
that
includes
the
city’s
largest
population
of
Orthodox
and
Hassidic
Jews,
many
of
whom
have
opposed
gay
rights
legislation
in
the
...
