➤ ADAM ELI, from p.13
lice report because he did not feel
it would solve anything, but he still
emerged with a key takeaway: As
the video went viral, he notably
grabbed that chance to acknowledge
his privilege as a cisgender
white man and remind the public
that transgender and gender nonconforming
folks, especially black
trans women, continue to face
deadly violence on a regular basis.
“I am sharing the encounter for
three reasons,” Eli wrote. The fi rst
reason, he said, was because “I
spent the fi rst 18 years of my life
listening to people tell me I couldn’t
be gay and Jewish. Today I love my
queer Jewish identity and nobody
is taking that away from me.”
Secondly, he continued, the incident
represented “a fraction of
what our trans + GNC family get
every single day. In this moment
I was able to stand up to my attacker
NOT bc I’m brave but bc I’m
a white resourced man in a heavily
traffi cked place. We know what
happens when a white man attacks
a black trans woman.”
He also offered a direct message
The man pictured above went on a hate-fi lled tirade against Adam Eli, a gay Jewish man, in a Manhattan
subway station on September 9.
to other cis white gay men “who
generally ‘pass’ for being hetero in
public.”
“This is what’s out there,” he explained.
TWITTER/ @AEWERNER
“Most of the time we can
get on the subway, go for a run or
go on a date in peace. That does
not mean our struggle for queer
liberation is over.”
He concluded, “Racism, transphobia,
xenophobia, islamophobia,
anti semitism and ableism hold
hands. Our ancestors taught us
none of us are safe until all of us
are safe. Queer culture is not going
to Equinox and getting brunch.
Queer culture is about fi ghting for
our community.”
Following the series of tweets,
Eli stood by his vow to stand up for
marginalized queer folks, even as
high-ranking politicians started
reacting to his video.
When Mayor Bill de Blasio
chimed in on Twitter to apologize
to Eli for having to endure the incident,
Eli thanked the mayor for his
support but then reminded him
that the answer to homophobia is
to “address all types of violence
against all queer people.”
“Layleen Polanco, a 27 yr old
Afro-Latinx trans woman died
in Rikers 93 days ago,” Eli wrote
in response to the mayor’s tweet.
“I know her family would like to
speak with you. Perhaps we can
all sit down together?”
The mayor did not respond to
that tweet.
PrEP is available regardless of your ability to pay
or your immigration status. Talk to your doctor or
visit nyc.gov/health and search "PrEP."
TAKE PrEP
TO PREVENT HIV
PrEP is a safe, daily pill that reduces your
risk of HIV. Use condoms to protect against
other sexually transmitted infections.
Bill de Blasio
Mayor
Oxiris Barbot, MD
Health Commissioner
GayCityNews.com | September 12 - September 25, 2019 17
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