PRESIDENT & PUBLISHER
Victoria Schneps-Yunis
CEO & CO-PUBLISHER
Joshua Schneps
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Matt Tracy
matt@gaycitynews.com
DIGITAL EDITOR
Tat Bellamy-Walker
tat@gaycitynews.com
FOUNDING EDITOR
Paul Schindler
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
Duncan Osborne (News)
Donna Aceto (Photography)
Christopher Byrne (Theater)
Susie Day (Perspective)
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Nicholas Boston, Kelly Jean Cogswell,
Steve Erickson, Andy Humm,
Eli Jacobson, David Kennerley,
Gary M. Kramer, Arthur S. Leonard,
Michael T. Luongo, Lawrence D. Mass,
Brian McCormick, Eileen McDermott,
Mick Meenan, Donna Minkowitz,
Christopher Murray, David Noh,
Sam Oglesby, Nathan Riley,
David Shengold, Ed Sikov, Yoav Sivan,
Kathleen Warnock, Benjamin Weinthal,
Nicole Akoukou Thompson
ART DIRECTOR
Leah Mitch
ADVERTISING
Ralph D’Onofrio
718-260-2510
rdonofrio@schnepsmedia.com
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES
Gayle Greenberg
Andrew Mark
Julio Tumbaco
Miriam Nieto
Laura Cangiano
Kathy Wenk
Jeannie Eisenhardt
Lenny Vigliotti
Elizabeth Polly
Please call 718-260-2524 for
advertising rates and availability.
CO-FOUNDERS EMERITUS
Troy Masters
John Sutter
Gay City News, The Newspaper Serving Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender NYC, is
published by Schneps Media. Send all inquiries to:
Gay City News, One Metrotech North, Third Floor,
Brooklyn, NY 15201 Phone: 212-22-1890
Written permission of the publisher must be
obtained before any of the contents of this paper, in
part or whole, can be reproduced or redistributed.
All contents © 2021 Schneps Media
Gay City News is a registered trademark
of Schneps Media
Fax: 212-22-2790
© 2021 Schneps Media
All rights reserved.
FOUNDING MEMBER
P R ID E
Human Rights Conference
Highlights WorldPride in Copenhagen
Out gay former State Senator Thomas Duane at a human rights conference in August.
BY THOMAS DUANE
As a former New York State
senator, I was both honored
to be invited and
happy to attend the 2021
LGBTQIA+ Human Rights Conference
held in Copenhagen, Denmark.
The conference, its forums, and international
activist networking, etc.,
took place during the week of August
15 and was a highlight of Copenhagen
2021 World Pride.
HRH Crown Princess Mary of Denmark
gave the opening address for the
Human Rights Conference. Crown
Princess Mary’s speech was riveting.
It was passionate, insightful, and inspiring.
and refl ected her profound
understanding of issues facing the
LGBTQIA+ communities internationally.
Her remarks set the tone for the
extremely challenging tasks facing
human rights activists worldwide. At
the same time, Crown Princess Mary,
the intensely determined activist —
in part because Her Royal Highness
wanted to open the conference, but
more importantly through her words
and call to action — uplifted all in attendance
with her optimism and vision
that equality and human and
civil rights are attainable for all worldwide,
and in particular, LGBTQIA+
communities everywhere.
I was a speaker at The Interparliamentary
Plenary Assembly, which provided
an opportunity for elected offi cials
to share their best practices and learn
about methods to advance the rights
of LGBTQIA+ communities nationally
and internationally. The assembly connected
DONNA ACETO
elected offi cials and provided a
platform for organizations around the
world to build and strengthen networks
that impact governments.
In my remarks, I strongly encouraged
all in attendance to welcome and mentor
activists to run for offi ce and increase
the ongoing under-representation of LGBTQIA+
elected and appointed offi cials
throughout government worldwide.
It was thrilling to meet, listen to
and just be an attendee among LGBTQIA+
elected and appointed offi -
cials from every corner of the world.
In addition, some of the speakers
presented remarks via video because
of the COVID-19 epidemic, current
events in their countries, or because
it was too dangerous for them to
travel internationally. In some cases,
speakers had to conceal their identities
because of the life and death situations
they could have experienced
if their faces or names were revealed.
Some of the many panels convened
for the conference included Peace,
Justice, and Strong Institutions and
Reducing Inequality Within and
Among Countries, etc., where speakers
included Tarek Zeiden of Lebanon;
Erinda Ballanca of Albania;
Dr. Franka Cadée, president, International
Confederation of Midwives;
and Anbid Zaman, youth representative,
ILGA World Youth Steering
Committee (Bangladesh). Speaking
via video were anonymous activists
needing protection from Mexico and
Nigeria, as well as many other established
and/or brave LGBTQIA+ advocates
and fi ghters for civil and human
rights for queer and non-queer
people locally and globally.
There were elected offi cials from
the US who attended the conference
and also spoke. Among those elected
offi cials included Congressmembers
Mark Takano of California and David
Cicilline of Rhode Island, and at least
two inspiring transgender lawmakers,
State Senator Sarah McBride of
Delaware and State Representative
Brianna Titone of Colorado. Titone is
related to our own out gay former assemblymember
and now Staten Island
Surrogate Court Judge Matt Titone.
There were other attendees from the
US, including activist Bruce Pachter
and our own wonderful photographer,
Donna Aceto, among others. The US
embassy also participated and offered
support — a welcome change in attitude
toward queer communities.
While there are far too few LGBTQIA+
elected offi cials at every level
of government and in every country,
there were activists from all over the
world who very well may go for and
win elected offi ces. Diffi cult tasks,
challenging and energizing exchanges
of experience, and strategies were very
much a part of the conference — and
informal, yet inspiring, discussion and
networking took place for all attendees.
All of that, when combined with the
awesome spirit of the conference generally
and the amazing energy of Copenhagen
2021 World Pride happening
all around, made this experience
one that has inspired and energized
me to fi ght for a better future — a better
future here in the US and around
the world. It is my strengthened and
most important takeaway from the
conference that there is truly an internationally
supported belief that we
must continue and accelerate the fi ght
for global safety and equality.
It was a great experience for me to
be among people who truly believe
that there is absolutely the possibility
of greater human and civil rights for
LGBTQIA+ , questioning, and allied
people in every country.
Thomas Duane formerly represented
District 29 in the New York State Senate
and District 3 in the New York City
Council. Duane and Antonio Pagán
were the fi rst out LGBTQ members of
the New York City Council and Duane
went on to become the fi rst out LGBTQ
person elected to the State Senate.
September 9 - September 22, 2 12 021 | GayCityNews.com
/GayCityNews.com
link
link
link
link
link
link
