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By: LOU CHIBBARO, JR. COMMENTS
 
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 ...
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