New York City Council LGBT Caucus Backs Boycott Of Gay Hoteliers

Posted yesterday to the Facebook page for the boycott of hoteliers Ian Reisner and Mati Weiderpass:

STATEMENT - LGBT CAUCUS - NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL

"Owning businesses that cater to the LGBT community comes with a heightened level of responsibility. For the proprietors of the OUTnyc and Fire Island Pines, hosting anti-LGBT politicians like Senators Ted Cruz and Ron Johnson in their home - for whatever reason - was the height of irresponsibility. We hope that the events of the last week send a message to businesses that serve our community: you cannot make money from our community and support those who don't support our basic civil rights."

LGBT Caucus - Council Members Daniel Dromm (Queens), Corey Johnson (Manhattan), Carlos Menchaca (Brooklyn), Rosie Mendez (Manhattan), Ritchie Torres (Bronx), James Van Bramer (Queens)

‪#‎BoycottFIPOut‬

Brian Brown Doubles-Down On Hypocrisy

"Stay out of New York City. That is effectively the message that a City Councilman named Daniel Dromm has sent to you, me, and millions of pro-marriage Americans — including the millions who already live in the city that never sleeps. And none of us, least of all New Yorkers, can allow ourselves to remain silent about it. What spurred Dromm's remarks? The announcement that Chick-fil-A had plans to expand its operations into New York City. Dromm is one of those intolerant few who still cling bitterly to a misremembered moment in 2012 when Chick-fil-A CEO Dan Cathy was reported in the press expressing his personal belief that marriage is the union of a man and a woman. In Dromm's and others' imaginations, this meant that Chick-fil-A was an 'anti-gay company' and that Cathy and the many thousands who work for him deserve punishment." - Economic terrorist Brian Brown, who for two years has been attempting to punish the many thousands who work for Starbucks and General Mills. Brown is using Dromm's words in a money beg for NOM's coming hate march in DC.

NOM's Dump Starbucks boycott.
NOM's Dump General Mills boycott.

NOM Fumes After Gay NYC Councilman Slams Chick-Fil-A Expansion Plans

"We don’t need bigots coming to New York City. They are not welcome here unless they can embrace all of New York’s diverse community, including the LGBT community. We don’t need bigoted people even keeping their opinions to themselves. They need to wake up and see reality." - Gay NYC Councilman Daniel Dromm (D-Queens), speaking last week to the Huffington Post about Chick-Fil-A's plan to "aggressively expand" into urban markets. Last month Chick-Fil-A CEO Dan Cathy announced that he'll be shutting up about gay marriage, doubtlessly in order to smooth the expansion process.

Yesterday NOM president Brian Brown went nuts about Dromm's brief statement.

"These remarks are outrageous and intolerant, and sadly seem to be part of a trend developing in the public debate surrounding this issue. When Dan Cathy's pro-marriage views were first reported in 2012, we saw mayors and city councils saying similar things—it was a disgraceful circus then, and it is now. What Dromm has effectively said here is that anyone who believes in marriage as the union of a man and a woman is unwelcome in New York City. His remarks, coming amidst a climate of such unseemly attacks on pro-marriage people as we saw with the Mozilla controversy last week, simply reinforce a growing manifestation of hostility and intimidation in the public square toward folks with traditional values. Christians and others are now, it seems, going to be considered guilty of 'thought-crimes' and threatened with all manner of reprisals simply for holding their beliefs."

NOM is demanding a "formal apology" from the entire New York City Council. Good luck with that!

NYC Council To Boycott St. Patty's Parade

"St. Patrick's Day has traditionally been a day when everyone can be Irish. Unfortunately, in New York City the Hibernians seem to have disavowed that old Irish tradition and have not allow LGBT people to march in the 5th Avenue St. Patrick's Day parade under their own banner for more than 20 years. In Ireland, not only do gay groups march but they often win awards for the best contingent. The Hibernians must return to their Irish roots and heritage, become hospitable and allow LGBT groups to fully participate. Enough is enough. I am extremely proud that the NYC Council under the leadership of Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito has taken a strong stand against bigotry and will not participate in the parade until LGBT people are treated equally." - Openly gay NYC Councilman Patrick Dromm (D-Queens), via press release.

RELATED: This Sunday, Queens will host the LGBT-inclusive St. Patrick's Day For All Parade. Irish activist and drag personality Panti Bliss will march in the parade. The grand marshal will be openly gay and openly HIV+ former New York state Sen. Tom Duane. Mayor Bill De Blasio, who announced his boycott of the main parade earlier this month, will march in Queens.

NEW YORK CITY: Gay Politicians Demand Obama Act On Russia's Anti-Gay Abuses

A coalition of gay New York state legislators and gay NYC politicians have issued a joint letter to President Obama which demands that he respond to Russia's crackdown on LGBT people by canceling a coming meeting with Vladimir Putin. Via press release, here's the letter in full:

Dear President Obama:

We write as lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) elected officials from New York City in anticipation of your deciding whether to continue or cancel plans for an upcoming diplomatic trip to Russia to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. While you are considering whether to cancel that trip in light of Russia's decision to give asylum to Edward Snowden, we also urge you to consider the country's horrendous treatment of members of the LGBT community and its clear human rights abuses aimed at our community. Russia has become a country that persecutes anyone who might be LGBT or supports gay rights.

As then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on behalf of your administration, “Gay rights are human rights, and human rights are gay rights. It should never be a crime to be gay.” Given that President Putin and Russia have enacted laws to criminalize gay people and supporters and deny human rights to their LGBT citizens, they should not be the beneficiary of any trip by your office until they fully restore all civil rights to LGBT people in their country. Recent actions taken by the Russian government have led LGBT citizens to face not only a society that is intolerant of their basic civil rights, but also a country that would imprison them for declaring support for their own fundamental rights as humans. This has promoted an atmosphere of hate where gay people fear for their own lives and safety. Police are allowed to arrest foreigners who are considered gay or pro-gay and detain them for up to 14 days. Under their new law, as a pro-gay supporter even you could be subject to arrest and imprisonment while in Russia.

Mr. President, you will remember that in December 2011 the White House released a presidential memorandum directing executive officers and agencies that deal in foreign affairs to address human rights abuses against LGBT people abroad and to pressure foreign governments to decriminalize homosexuality. Now it is time for you and your administration to directly act on this memorandum. The LGBT community and its allies in Russia are under attack and the victims of clear human rights abuses. We urge you to stand in solidarity with us. Refuse any diplomatic mission to Russia until President Putin stops these abuses now and agrees to make Russia a country that proudly supports its LGBT community and its allies worldwide. We expect nothing less.

The letter was signed by NYC Council Speaker Christine Quinn, state Sen. Brad Hoylman, Assemblywoman Deborah J. Glick, Assemblyman Matthew Titone, Assemblyman Daniel O’Donnell, Assemblyman Micah Kellner, and NYC Council members Jimmy Van Bramer, Rosie Mendez, and Daniel Dromm.

NEW YORK CITY: Gay Councilman Slams Queens Park Giveaway To Leader Of Anti-Gay Arab Nation

"I was shocked to read in the New York Times that the Bloomberg Administration is negotiating to give NYC parkland away to Sheik Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan, an oil billionaire that helps rule a country where gays or lesbians is a crime punishable by death. This is outrageous. This is also a country where gay and lesbian people could be subject to chemical castration. It is totally unacceptable. I urge my colleagues in the City Council and elected officials across the state to join me in saying that New Yorkers won’t do business with a murderous regime and we won’t sell, trade or giveaway our public assets to those who discriminate and participate in human rights abuses." - New York City Councilman Daniel Dromm (D-Queens), on the plan to build a pro soccer stadium in Flushing Meadows.

The sheik, who is worth an estimated $5B, is the deputy prime minister of the United Arab Emirates. Gothamist has more on the story.

Sheik Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan is close to paying $100 million to bring professional soccer to Queens.  The Times says, "The prospective owners are willing to pay a $100 million expansion fee for the league’s 20th team, which could be called New York City F.C. and begin play in 2016, the two people said. That would more than double the expansion fee of $40 million paid by the Montreal team that entered M.L.S. in 2012." If the deal goes through, MLS will take 13 acres in Flushing Meadows Corona Park—and this is contingent upon the City Council and State Legislature okaying it— with the league replacing the 13 acres of parkland to the community at a location yet to be identified.