LGBTQ+ Platform

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Jackson Heights, Corona, Woodside, and East Elmhurst have a long history of fighting for LGBTQIA+ liberation. The Queens Pride Parade, based in Jackson Heights, is the second largest pride celebration in New York City, however we cannot forget that it was formed as a response to the tragic murder of Julio Rivera in Jackson Heights in 1990 and LGBTQ+ discrimination. 

The LGBTQIA+ community continues to face discrimination and violence - in the workplace, in schools, by health practitioners, and by police. Queer communities of color and immigrant communities are disproportionately impacted, particularly those who earn low-incomes. I see all issues through an intersectional lens, so nearly every issue affects the LGBTQIA+ community - particularly how it relates to discrimination and bias, including criminal justice, education, immigration, economic justice, healthcare, and housing.

I have fought for decades for health, dignity and justice alongside LGBTQIA+ people, particularly immigrants, Latinxs and queer people of color. If elected, I will continue fighting for true and just liberation for all.

Decriminalize Sex Work

  • Repeal the ‘Walking While Trans Ban’ (A654 Paulin/S2253 Hoylman). The Walking While Trans ban has allowed the NYPD to exercise arbitrary and discriminatory enforcement of the ‘loitering for purposes of prostitution’ law, which has harassed and targeted primarily black and Latinx trans women as sex workers, who are often doing nothing more than walking down the street. 

  • Sex work is work, and trans women of color, especially in my community, have been disproportionately targeted and criminalized by the police, putting them in even greater danger. I will fight to decriminalize sex work by passing the Stop Violence in the Sex Trades Act (A08230 Gottfried/S6419 Salazar). Decrminalizing sex work will allow sex workers to come out of the shadows and work with dignity and in safety, while maintaining mechanisms to prosecute the trafficking of adults and minors.

Gender-Affirming Policies

  • Gender is not binary, and the current binary gender designations on state-issued identification do not adequately reflect the experiences of the transgender and gender non-conforming community. We must pass the Gender Recognition Act (A3457B Ortiz/S56B Hoylman), which would add a gender-neutral option to birth certificates and DMV-issued IDs.

  • I believe everyone has the right to quality healthcare, and that care should be LGBTQIA+ inclusive and affirming. While Medicaid and most insurance plans in NYS cover gender affirmation surgery, loopholes and red tape still exist that I will seek to close to ensure all people have access to dignified health care.

  • Trans people face discriminaton and harassment in New York jails and prisons, often because they are housed in facilities that do not align with their gender identity. We must require New York jails and prisons to recognize incarcerated people’s gender identity (A5257 Rozic/S4702 Sepulveda).

LGBTQ-Friendly Education

  • Require comprehensive sex education that is age-appropriate and medically accurate (A6512 Nolan/S4844 Metzger). I would seek to expand the legislation to ensure that it is culturally competent, LGBTQ-affirming and rooted in principles of consent.

  • Students have a right to learn in a comfortable, safe, and affirming environment. We must expand gender neutral restrooms in all public spaces, including public schools, SUNY, CUNY, and community colleges (A6500A O'Donnell/S6479 Salazar)

  • Ensure that educational curriculum is inclusive of LGBTQIA-friendly information, history and resources (A4744 Seawright/S1478 Hoylman), and that schools and universities create a safe learning environment in and out of the classroom by addressing harassment and cyber-bullying.

Housing LGBTQIA+ communities

  • Homelessness among the LGBTQIA+ population, particularly youth, is a crisis in our city. We must fund long-term housing solutions for the LGBTQIA+ community in need.

  • LGBTQIA+ seniors deserve to live in affordable and supportive housing with dignity, free from discrimination. I will advocate for investments in LGBTQ-welcoming senior housing that is affordable and accessible, with a percentage of occupancies set aside for those who were formerly homeless.

  • Ensure that our LGBTQIA+ seniors have an established set of rights and protections in Long-Term Care facilities (A866A Simotas/S2912A Hoylman).

I look forward to advocating for policies that improve the lives of all LGBTQIA+ people in our communities as I believe that all people deserve dignity, respect and the ability to live their true lives free from violence or discrimination.