The Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Membership, led by longtime homosexual rights activist Allen Roskoff, spearheaded the decision for a boycott Friday, sending out a message urging LGBTQ teams and people to steer clear of the celebration scheduled for Tuesday at Gracie Mansion.
Within the message, the membership argued Adams is “in bed with Donald Trump” and displaying nothing however “silence in the face of attacks on our community” from Trump’s administration. Amongst varied different actions, Trump has sought to roll again entry to gender-affirming take care of transgender individuals, issued an government order searching for to determine it as a “biological truth” that there are solely two genders, ousted transgender service members from the U.S. army and tried to ban trans girls from collaborating in sports activities in keeping with the gender with which they determine.
“The Trump administration’s intention is to erase us … Yet not a word of criticism from Eric Adams, who dines with Trump and tells staff not to criticize the president,” the Jim Owles message says.
Adams has stated he’s publicly refraining from criticizing Trump with a view to cope with him privately as an alternative.
Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket by way of Getty Photographs
Allen Roskoff speaks after Mayor Eric Adams made an announcement with LGBTQ+ advocates at Metropolis Corridor in 2022. (Lev Radin / Pacific Press / LightRocket by way of Getty Photographs)
“History will remember him as a pawn to Donald Trump,” Roskoff stated, a reference to the Trump Division of Justice’s controversial dismissal of Adams’ federal corruption indictment. “Mayor Adams is not our ally. He is our enemy.”
Adams’ workplace didn’t instantly return requests for remark.
Mayor Eric Adams participates within the annual Pleasure March into the West Village on June 30, 2024 in New York Metropolis. (Photograph by Alex Kent/Getty Photographs)
After Roskoff’s missive, Equality New York, one other main native LGBTQ membership, introduced its members may also boycott Tuesday’s occasion at Gracie.
“Adams has failed from the beginning of his tenure as mayor to invest in the LGBT community, including appointing leaders in his administration with homophobic and transphobic histories,” Equality New York Government Director Amanda Babine stated, a reference to the mayor’s controversial 2022 resolution to faucet a trio of pastors with histories of anti-gay rhetoric to prime jobs in his administration. “He hasn’t taken feedback about that and even more recently we see him aligning with Trump, making it clear where he stands.”
A 3rd main LGBTQ group, the Lambda Unbiased Democrats of Brooklyn, stated it doesn’t contemplate itself a part of any formal boycott. Nonetheless, Lamda President Joseph Jourdan stated his group may also shun Tuesday’s occasion since Adams has “abandoned” the Democratic Social gathering and “his queer constituents” amid his ties to Trump.
The Stonewall Democrats, one other main LGBTQ membership within the metropolis, has participated in boycotts of Adams’ Pleasure Month occasions in previous years.
This yr, Stonewall Democrats President Gabriel Lewenstein stated his group gained’t take part within the boycott. He stated he as an alternative needs to let members make “their own individual decisions,” although he affirmed his membership stays adamantly anti-Adams.
“We’ve called on the mayor to resign several times, so any members going should not be construed as political support,” stated Lewenstein, whose group has endorsed Council Speaker Adrienne Adams as its prime choose for mayor this yr.
Initially Printed: Might 30, 2025 at 5:05 PM EDT
