➤ ROD TOWNSEND, from p.14
to establish borough-based jails,
which drew loud criticism from
advocates such as those involved
with the No New Jails NYC coalition,
which blasted offi cials for
committing to building even more
jails at a time when there has been
an emphasis on reducing incarceration.
Townsend was a part of
the community board that voted
to establish Rikers as public land
so that no new jails could be built
there.
The No New Jails coalition “is
right,” Townsend said, “in that we
need to be putting the resources”
toward decarceration.
He added, “When you look at
how much money we spend on our
failed jail system compared to others
who are being innovative with
incarceration, we should be putting
our money toward the future.”
Townsend was not afraid to use
his role as president of Stonewall
to keep elected offi cials in check
when they stepped out of bounds
— especially when it came to LGBTQ
issues. When Gay City News
reported that former City Council
Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and
then-Councilmember Jumaane
Williams, now the public advocate,
misled voters in Stonewall candidate
questionnaires by falsely
saying they never donated to or
endorsed homophobic lawmakers,
Townsend used strong language to
condemn those politicians.
Another example of that was evident
when Townsend said out lesbian
Assemblymember Deborah
Glick “betrayed” the club by backing
away from a pledge to support
a compensated gestational surrogacy
bill that died last year.
Townsend dug deeper into his
personal history as he vowed to be
an advocate in City Hall for important
LGBTQ issues — including
questions that would be handled
by state lawmakers, such as the
related movements to repeal the
“Walking While Trans” ban — a
loitering measure that has been
employed to target transgender
women and sex workers — and to
fully decriminalize sex work.
“When I fi rst came to New York
City and I was involved and going
out, the fi rst friends I really made
were trans women, mostly trans
women of color,” he said. “I got to
know sex workers, and to me that
was just their job. I defi nitely want
to put resources behind that and
that will never cease to be important
to me.”
He continued, “I grew up in the
‘80s and I came out late because I
grew up in an environment where
AIDS loomed large over your life.
The president of the US wouldn’t
mention an epidemic that was killing
thousands of people. I spent a
lot of time at the Beth Israel HIV
ward back in the day. I’ve seen
what happens when government
turns a blind eye to our people.”
There are also areas where
Townsend could have an even
more direct impact on queer issues.
There will, for example, be
a need for lawmakers who will
focus on LGBTQ education initiatives
in light of the impending
departure of term-limited out gay
Councilmember Daniel Dromm, a
former Queens school teacher who
helped usher in the city Department
of Education’s fi rst LGBTQ
liaison and continues to push for
an LGBTQ-related question on the
New York State Regents exams.
When asked, Townsend committed
to carrying those issues forward if
elected and pointed to his past efforts
in making sure to include LGBTQ
education-related questions
on Stonewall’s candidate questionnaires.
The race, which would be a
nonpartisan special election if
Constantinides gets elected borough
president, is shaping up to
be a crowded affair. Those who
have fi led include Constantinides’
chief of staff, Nick Roloson, attorney
Andy Aujla, Sunnyside Shines
Business Improvement District executive
director Jaime-Faye Bean,
youth organizer Jesse A. Cerrotti,
and Republican Felicia Kalan —
who also grew up in Indiana and
attended the University of Evansville.
Townsend welcomes the competition.
“The more the merrier,” he said.
“I’ve been working for years now
to encourage people to run for offi
ce. I’m not willing to go back on
that now because I’m a candidate.
It brings out more ideas, more personalities,
and more of the neighborhood.”
Keep your prostate.
Kill the cancer.
Maimonides is the FIRST and ONLY medical center on the East
Coast to offer the next generation focal HIFU treatment.
The expert physicians at Maimonides are leading the way with the most advanced technology
on the East Coast. Focal HIFU ( High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound) offers the most precise,
image-guided treatment __ down to the millimeter __ and results in fewer side effects by
selectively destroying the cancerous cells within the prostate while leaving the healthy areas
intact and functional. Now available only at Maimonides.
Brooklyn’s Only Prostate Center
The new Maimonides Prostate Center is the only full service
prostate center in Brooklyn and is led by David Silver, MD, Chief,
Division of Urology Director, Prostate Center. The Center is at the
forefront of minimally invasive, multidisciplinary surgical and medical
care, offering men facing a diagnosis of prostate cancer the most
advanced technology and customized treatment options available.
Your life. To be continued.
To speak with a prostate center specialist,
call 888.MMC.DOCS or visit ProstateCenterNY.org
GayCityNews.com | March 12 - March 25, 2020 15
/ProstateCenterNY.org
/GayCityNews.com
