STONEWALL DEMOCRATIC CLUB OF NYC 2019 PUBLIC ADVOCATE SPECIAL ELECTION ENDORSEMENT QUESTIONNAIRE RESPONSES
STONEWALL DEMOCRATS OF NYC
Assembly Member Deborah Glick Richmond County Surrogate and Former Assembly Member Matt Titone Judge Paul Feinman Melissa Sklarz Christine Quinn Cynthia Nixon Elvin Garcia Congressional Candidate and Albuquerque City Councillor Pat Davis Please explain any activities and/or experiences that demonstrate your commitment to the LGBT movement, including any concrete achievements for the LGBT community that you are responsible for in your current, or previous, elected office/s or positions.
I am proudly the prime sponsor of Marriage Equality, and passed it for 5 years in the Assembly before it finally passed the Senate. Additionally, I was the prime sponsor of the Dignity for All Students Act (New York’s Anti-Bullying Law) which was the first time that trans protections were written into New York State law. I’m also the prime sponsor of the bill to eliminate the Gay/Trans panic defense, and the bill to make all single stall restrooms gender neutral statewide. I am also in the process of advocating for a LGBT Caucus in the State legislature. What experience do you have to demonstrate you are the best person to represent the office you are seeking?
Rather than talk about myself, I’ll highlight the experiences and qualifications that many of my opponents in this race state are important to the role. Being independent of the Mayor and Governor: I’ve maintained independence from the Mayor and the Governor, and have been unafraid to call them out on not serving in the public’s interest on numerous occasions- most recently on the MTA debacle. Experience with Legislation: I’ve spent 16 years in the state legislature, with only 6 months where the Senate was Democratic, meaning every piece of legislation that I passed required overcoming a Republican Senate. Many candidates for this office say they’ll push the state legislature to pass progressive policies, but I’m the only candidate that has over a decade of experience doing just that with a reluctant Senate. Experience with Litigation: I graduated from CUNY law and spent 7 years as a Public Defender in Brooklyn in Legal Aide’s criminal defense division. After leaving Legal Aide, I formed a public interest private practice where I litigated mostly discrimination cases and represented tenants. Page 25 ! of 47 !