LGBTQ organizations blast Adams’ anti-gay appointments

LGBTQ advocacy organizations said Eric Adams’ controversial anti-gay appointments are harmful to his administration, but won’t derail their agenda for the new New York City mayor.

The appointments  of former City Council Member Fernando Cabrera and two pastors, Gilford Monrose and Erick Salgado, drew protests outside City Hall Thursday over the trio’s rejection of gay marriage. Several groups have called the appointments a setback to the work they want to get done with the new administration. 

"Words can incite violence and inflict serious harm on members of the LGBTQ+ community.” said Sean Coleman, Executive Director of Destination Tomorrow, which runs a center in the Bronx that helping the most vulnerable members of the LGBTQ community. 

“While we at Destination Tomorrow are grateful for former Council Member Cabrera’s support, we strongly condemn his past actions and statements. An apology is not enough,” said Coleman. “We need to see action to back it up. He will have to come through for the community in significant ways to show us that his views have changed and that he is ready to be an ally.”

“Further, the mayoral administration must reflect the diversity of the city’s population, and we hope to see a Trans leader appointed to a key position to create some balance,” Coleman added. 

Despite the criticism of the appointments, advocates said they had not given up hope on work they want to see done by the administration. “We're asking that the city collects sexual orientation and gender identity demographic data when it collects all other information on the experiences of LGBTQ+ people in the city,” said Lynn Faria, an executive vice president with SAGE NYC, which works with ederly members of the LGBTQ community. 

“It's incredibly important to understand racial inequities among LGBTQ+ New Yorkers,” Faria added. “Looking at how the intersectionality of race, sexual orientation and gender identity along with other demographic markers really contribute to their experiences and their needs when it comes to services and supports.” 

The added data collection would especially help SAGE NYC’s clients, Faria said. “For LGBTQ+ elders, this could bring them out of the shadows and into the spotlight and make their needs visible through the collection of data.”

Faria insisted advocates will continue speaking out against discrimination against the LGBTQ community. 

“We stand proudly with our city’s LGBTQ+ population and we'll continue to work hard to ensure New York City aligns with our values of being inclusive and welcoming to everyone," said Faria. "Our priority is to ensure the city administration supports LGBTQ+ New Yorkers, especially our elders, who have given so much for the community and this city.”