POLITICS
Torres, Jones Begin Historic Terms in Congress
Out gay lawmakers expand New York State’s LGBTQ Congressional delegation
BY TAT BELLAMY-WALKER
Democrats Mondaire
Jones and Ritchie Torres
were offi cially sworn
into Congress on January
3 in an historic moment that
delivered New York City its fi rst out
member of Congress and grew the
state’s LGBTQ Congressional delegation
from one member to three.
Jones, who is the fi rst out gay
Black member of Congress, is
succeeding Representative Nita
Lowey in New York’s 17th district,
which covers Rockland County
as well as Central and Northern
Westchester. Torres, now the fi rst
out gay Afro-Latinx congressmember,
will represent the South
Bronx in the 15th District following
the departure of José E.
Serrano. Jones and Torres are
joining out gay Hudson Valley
Congressmember Sean Patrick
Maloney, who became the state’s
fi rst out LGBTQ member of Congress
when he was fi rst elected in
2012.
Torres will serve on the House
Committee on Financial Services,
while Jones will be a member of
the House Judiciary Committee.
Both of the incoming lawmakers
acknowledged their rise to Capitol
Hill as they took offi ce.
“Today, with my sister by my
side, I was sworn in to represent
the community that raised me
from Section 8 housing all the way
to the halls of Congress,” Jones
wrote in a Tweet. “My heart is full
of gratitude for the great people of
Westchester and Rockland Counties,
and I can’t wait to get to
work.”
Torres, 32, praised his predecessor
as he stepped in to represent
the Bronx at a critical juncture in
Washington.
“Thank you, @RepJoseSerrano,
for dedicating your life to serving
the people of the Bronx. You
have — without fail — set the gold
standard of decency and integrity
in elected offi ce,” Torres noted in
a tweet. “From the Bronx River
to Puerto Rico, the impact of your
service will be forever felt.”
Ritchie Torres was sworn in on January 3 after spending nearly two terms in the New York City Council.
Mondaire Jones will serve on the House Judiciary Committee in the House of Representatives.
Torres is entering Congress
after spending nearly two full
terms as a city lawmaker who
chaired the Committee on Public
Housing in his fi rst term and
led the Oversight and Investigations
Committee following his reelection.
Although Jones has not
worked as an elected offi cial, he
has held positions in the Obama
administration’s offi ce of legal
policy at the Department of Justice.
He also worked as an attorney
for Westchester County’s Law
MATT TRACY
TWITTER/MONDAIRE JONES
Department.
During the 2020 election,
Jones’s campaign ran on a progressive
platform that included a
f0cus on student loan forgiveness
as well as support for Medicare for
All, a policy providing single-payer
healthcare coverage throughout
the US.
Torres’ victory marked a defi ning
moment in his career — and
it was even more pivotal because
he defeated anti-LGBTQ Councilmember
Ruben Diaz, Sr. in a
contentious Democratic primary
election battle that featured several
other notable candidates,
including former City Council
Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito
and Bronx Assemblymember Michael
Blake. Torres focused heavily
on targeting Diaz’s anti-LGBTQ
record, though Torres also took
some heat from his opponents —
especially on issues of campaign
fi nance — once he emerged as a
frontrunner down the stretch.
In an interview with Gay City
News in 2019, Torres set the tone
for his campaign as he made the
case that he would be the best alternative
to Diaz.
“Diaz is a creature of the right,
I am a creature of the pragmatic
progressive left,” Torres told Gay
City News in 2019. “He’s a leading
voice of opposition to LGBT equality,
I am an LGBT trailblazer in
the Bronx. So the race is about the
future of the Bronx. Who we elect
as our congressperson in the 15th
district will speak powerfully about
the values of the borough. It is by
far the most consequential race in
the Bronx in decades.”
Jones and Torres have vowed
to advocate for the Equality Act,
a comprehensive non-discrimination
bill that would include sexual
orientation and gender identity as
protected clauses under Title VII
of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. That
bill would add to the protections
established over the summer when
the Supreme Court ruled that the
Title VII ban on employment discrimination
based on sex also
encompasses sexual orientation
and gender identity discrimination.
While that ruling is expected
to eventually have a wider impact
beyond employment, legislation is
needed to take those gains a step
further.
Mayor Bill de Blasio announced
on January 4 that there will be a
special election for Torres’ former
Bronx City Council seat on March
23. Out trans candidate Elisa
Crespo is among those aiming to
succeed Torres in the 15th District,
which is located in the Central
Bronx.
January 14 - January 27, 2 4 021 | GayCityNews.com
/GayCityNews.com
