TORRES & VICTORY FUND, from p. 12
grate his own constituents because
they are women or LGBTQ,” Parker
said, taking a clear shot at Diaz’s
long history of anti-abortion stances
and homophobia, which was on
full display early this year when he
said the City Council “is controlled
by the homosexual community.”
Torres told Gay City News in a
phone interview that he is “honored”
to have the Victory Fund’s
support, which he said represents
“a game-changing endorsement
that demonstrates that the contest
is a priority for the national LGBTQ
ELIZABETH MUNSKY, from p.7
ment. Those measures were signed
by Mayor Bill de Blasio, but they
did not come without resistance
from the DOC: Faye Yelardy, the
agency’s assistant commissioner
for the Offi ce of Sexual Abuse and
Sexual Harassment Prevention,
testifi ed that “the department cannot
support” the task force bill.
Munsky will face a tall order in
helping to implement those initiatives,
movement.”
“The stakes are unusually high,”
Torres explained. “The specter of
Ruben Diaz, Sr., is an urgent recognition
that we as a community
cannot afford to have the most antichoice,
anti-LGBT Democrat represent
the most Democratic district.”
Torres, who already became the
fi rst out gay elected offi cial in the
Bronx and the youngest in the City
Council when originally elected in
2013, would be the fi rst out gay
black and fi rst out gay Latinx congressmember
if he wins the race to
replace departing Representative
José Serrano next year . He is far
but she is confi dent her work
experience prior to joining the
agency has prepared her for such
challenges. Before working in the
mayor’s offi ce, she was a program
manager at Live Out Loud, a nonprofi
t that provides mentoring and
education opportunities for LGBTQ
youth, and a training and leadership
manager at the Queens and
Long Island-based LGBT Network.
“I began to see that the work I
wanted to do was not just for the
ahead in fundraising , having raked
in more than $522,000 through
his fi rst fi ling compared to Bronx
Assemblymember Michael Blake’s
$120,941 and Diaz’s $80,766. But
Diaz has spent decades establishing
his name in the Bronx — and
Torres understands that he needs
more than just money to overcome
that.
“I need the support of the LGBT
community,” Torres said. “I need a
real mobilization of the LGBT community
to overcome the entrenched
power of Ruben Diaz. Sr., in the
Bronx.”
Moving forward, Torres said he
LGBTQ community but for those
who have been most on the margins,
whose voices have been
tamped down more than others,”
Munsky said. “When this position
arose, it put all of my experience
under one sector to uplift those
voices.”
Those in DOC leadership say
they will support the work to improve
conditions for LGBTQ inmates.
DOC Commissioner Cynthia
Brann said, in a written
plans to continue the process of
contacting donors, rallying labor
endorsements, and building a base
of volunteers as he navigates the
course of his campaign. But even
with a fi nancial advantage that has
him “cautiously optimistic,” he isn’t
taking anything for granted. Torres
acknowledged that he has been
an underdog for most of his life and
doesn’t see that changing in the
race for Capitol Hill.
“I was born as an underdog, I’ve
lived as an underdog, and I think
I’m an underdog in this race,” Torres
said. “I’m going to campaign as
if I’m 50 points behind.”
statement, “We remain committed
to working with advocates and
members of the LGBTQ+ community
to ensure that our policies
provide safe, fair, and respectful
treatment of our LGBTQ+ population,”
while Michael Tausek, the
deputy commissioner of programs
and community partnerships,
said, “The addition of the LGBTQ+
director to the programs department
is another way for us to be
successful at doing that job.”
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GayCityNews.com | August 1 - August 14, 2019 13
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