Amid boycott call, NY mayor says he’s a ‘dedicated fighter’ for LGBTQ+ rights

New York City Mayor Eric Adams was reportedly pleased at the turnout despite calls to boycott his PRIDE party at Gracie Mansion INQUIRER/Elton Lugay

NEW YORK—Only a handful of Filipinos were visible at the LGBTQ+ reception of New York City Mayor Eric Adams Tuesday night, June 7, which otherwise had a huge turnout despite calls for a boycott by prominent groups.

Five days before the reception, Lambda Independent Democrats of Brooklyn, Stonewall Democrats of NYC, Lesbian and Gay Democratic Club of Queens, and Equality New York declared they would not celebrate PRIDE month with the NYC mayor and called on him to fire two new city hall appointees who are perceived to be anti-LGBTQ, among other demands.

Introducing Adams as an old ally of the LGBTQ+ community, senior advisor to the mayor Stefan Ringel also described New York City’s relevance in the fight for equality.

“Our city is a beacon for LGBTQ+ Pride and progress. From the boardroom to the ballroom, we are leaders, and we are on the front lines. This is the home of the movement for LGBTQ+ rights, the home of Stonewall, the birthplace of Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, Tom Duane and too many other heroes and sheroes to name. The spirit of the movement is alive and well in this space tonight with all of the amazing advocates and community champions gathered here, as well as the great representation of our community in this administration,” he said.

Starting off lightly with comments on party ambience, Adams turned very serious and recalled his awakening to gay inequality when he was 18 years old.

“One of the most significant moments in my life was when I was 18, and I stood there traumatized. And it planted the seed of everything that I did, when I learned about Harvey Milk. When I learned an elected official in San Francisco was assassinated merely because of his lifestyle, I did not understand it. And it was a different time when you go back then in 1978 – 1978, you were targeted, you were attacked, you could not state who you were. And the death of Harvey Milk had such an impact on my life, but I did not understand why would someone have that much hate just because a person wanted to express themselves,” Adams said in his speech.

Fil-Am human rights activist Kalayaan Mendoza at Gracie Mansion’s PRIDE celebration INQUIRER/Elton Lugay

Adams described himself as a “dedicated fighter” for LGBTQ+ rights and mentioned upcoming interventions directed at runaways and Black and brown transgenders. Alluding to the current rift with some LGBTQ groups, Adams reiterated his lifelong journey as an LGBTQ+ rights activist.

“I’m not new to this in your community. I’m true to this in your community. I’m true to it. And it’s not because I want to be elected. It’s not because I want to hold a title. It’s because my life changed as an 18-year-old boy. I’m still on the journey of living in the spirit of those who died before us to state, ‘We can be in this place right now.’ And I’m not going to always get it right. I am perfectly imperfect. There are times I’m going to drop the ball. There are times when I could have done it better. There are times I could have used a different method, but my imperfection should never be traded for my dedication. Never,” he said.

Declining to comment on the local controversy, Filipino American gay rights activist Kalayaan Mendoza, who attended the NYC mayor’s PRIDE reception, instead noted the importance of celebrating PRIDE in the Filipino American community because “the more LGBTQ folks are visible, the better it is.”

Considering the failure to legislate same-sex marriage in the Philippines, Mendoza said Fil-Ams could offer material support or help in terms of creating a “narrative strategy” around the fight to legalize gay marriage. “Everyone deserves to be happy,” he told INQUIRER.net. “I’m hoping as Filipino Americans we can support our kababayan back home sa ‘Pinas to be able to know that we have their backs.”

Fil-Australian Seann Miley Moore of ‘X Factor UK’ fame (left) being interviewed by TV reporter at Mayor Adams’ PRIDE reception. INQUIRER/Elton Lugay

Asked what could be in store for the gay community under a Marcos presidency, Mendoza could only recall his own family’s experience during the time of martial law in the Philippines.

“My family and I left during the time of Marcos’ rise to fascism, at the height of it. And we need to understand that fascism shows its face in many ways, from misogyny, transphobia, homophobia, attacks on the poor. This is only going to be a fight for human rights for all of us. So whether or not we are from a marginalized community, we need to show up in solidarity with our kababayan back home,” he said.

Meanwhile, for Filipino Australian “X Factor UK” finalist Seann Miley Moore, who is in New York to pursue recording deals and was one of the guests at Adams’ LGBTQ+ reception, it is high time, regardless of religious or historical views, to recognize gender equality.

“Filipino queerness and pride is at a big level, you know. There are celebrities like Patrick Starrr and also Bretman Rock, and Filipino people are out there, proud of who they are and Filipino American as well,” he told INQUIRER.net.

“So it’s great that we’re all around the world, but it’s good to come together, and what you’re craving is a space where we can be visible and colorful and fearless in who we are. So look, the fight is not over but our voice will be heard here and we’ll go back to Philippines and legalize gay marriage, baby, ‘cause love is love,” Moore said.

More PRIDE events are lined up in and around NYC this month, the biggest being the NYC Pride March scheduled for June 26^th. The 2022 NYC Pride March is the first fully in person march in three years and will be broadcast live on WABC-TV.