Politicians
Queens could likely have four openly gay candidates running for City Council next year.
By Ben Hogwood

An openly gay candidate has to be interested in the same issues as any candidate running for political office, issues such as education, taxes and quality of life.

But at some point, the candidate will have to address their sexuality, said Daniel Dromm, a school teacher and long-time gay rights activist exploring a run for a City Council seat next year.

"It still remains a bit of a turnoff," said Dromm, "but I think over the last 30, 40 years now, we've made great strides in the movement."

Long-time gay rights activist Danny Dromm.

Before Dromm, there was little unity amongst the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community in Queens. When Julio Rivera, a bartender from the Bronx, was bludgeoned to death in Jackson Heights by three people in 1990, there wasn't a local organized group to denounce the horror. Fortunately, this is no longer the case and much of this has to do with Dromm's baby, the Queens Lesbian and Gay Pride Parade, which runs through Jackson Heights and started in 1993. Not only was it a major step in the gay rights movement, it also had an effect politically.

"When we first had the parade, we could show there were large numbers of LGBT people living in Queens communities," Dromm said about the roughly 10,000 that came. This made politicians sit up and notice that there was a large demographic of LGBT voters, as well as supportive friends and family, that lived in Queens.

While the LGBT community provides a strong base for a gay candidate to venture into politics, it likely isn't enough to win an election. Dromm said that when he first came out as an openly gay school teacher, he was given an invaluable piece of advice from the late Rita Cassel, who at the time was with a group called Democrats for New Politics. Cassel told Dromm to mix with people outside his own constituency.

"I followed that," Dromm said. "I went out to many different organizations … to mix and mingle, so they could get to know me and I could get to know them."

Dromm isn't the first openly gay person to run for a Queens political seat. In 1998, Ed Sedarbaum ran for the State Senate and in 2001, Jimmy Van Bremer ran for City Council. Both campaigns were unsuccessful.

Also, Charles Ober is an openly gay candidate running for the recently vacated City Council seat formerly occupied by Dennis Gallagher. Mayor Mike Bloomberg called a Special Election, to be held June 3, after Gallagher pleaded guilty to two misdemeanors following accusations that he sexually assaulted a 52-year-old woman.

Ober's sexuality came under assault earlier this month when a hate-filled letter was sent to voters in the district, filled with profanity condemning his orientation. The author of the letter is unknown but accusations have flown.

If Ober isn't the first openly gay candidate elected, three people in addition to Dromm have been linked to possible runs next year. Those include Van Bramer of Sunnyside, Alfonso Quiroz of Jackson Heights and Lyn Shulman of Forest Hills.

The fact that so many gay candidates are running for a seat when less than 20 years ago there was hardly a uniting voice to speak for gay people in the borough shows just how far the gay rights movement has come. But the fact a candidate has yet to be elected may indicate there is still work ahead.

"I've always believed when people know you as a human being, it's harder for them to demonize you," said Dromm.