Marti Gould Cummings Announces Council Bid
LGBTQ advocate, drag artist is eyeing seat from Upper Manhattan’s west side
BY MATT TRACY
Manhattan drag artist and LGBTQ
advocate Marti Gould Cummings
is running for City Council
in 2021, they announced on
September 5.
Cummings, 32, is best known as a mainstay
on the city’s drag scene, but they are aiming
to make their biggest foray yet into the political
world after having founded Hell’s Kitchen
Democrats three years ago and landing positions
on the mayor’s Nightlife Advisory Board
and Manhattan Community Board 9.
Although Cummings previously lived in
Hell’s Kitchen, they now live in Upper Manhattan
and will run in Council District 7 for the
seat currently occupied by Mark Levine, who
is term-limited from seeking reelection. That
district encompasses Manhattan Valley, Manhattanville,
Morningside Heights, and Hamilton
Heights.
In a campaign launch video, Cummings
touted some of their political credentials and
vowed to serve as a voice for everyday New
Yorkers.
“For over a decade, I’ve had the great opportunity
to be a drag artist in New York City,”
Cummings said. “It has been a great honor
to use my platform as a performer to not only
make people laugh and entertain them, but to
advocate for issues that matter.”
➤ JOSUE PIERRE, from p.8
women who would carry the babies. Pierre said
he shares that concern, noting, “It’s critical that
we do it in such a way that we protect women
and the rights of women.”
On a broader front, Pierre believes the state
can and should play a signifi cant role in bolstering
healthcare for folks, especially with the
Trump administration continuing to chip away
at Obamacare. Pierre has seen the issue play
out in front of his eyes, with residents in his
home neighborhood resorting to emergency
rooms because they can’t afford healthcare.
Of the New York Health Act, a proposal to
bring universal care statewide, he said, it “is
what we have to move towards. Over time, it
will reduce the costs because not only are we
getting people to do more preventative care and
preventing high costs, but as a bulk buyer we
would be able to purchase at lower rates.”
In the early stages of his campaign, Pierre
has started mobilizing volunteers to aid his
candidacy and folks have reached out to offer
support.
DONNA ACETO
Marti Gould Cummings, speaking during the annual Pride Rally at
Christopher Park in 2018, is aiming to bring their activism to City Hall.
He stressed this confi dence that the people
of the district and the LGBTQ community will
back him in his historic bid.
Whether homophobia becomes an issue during
the campaign is yet to be seen. Pierre said
he has not experienced much explicit homophobia
while navigating the political world since
becoming district leader, but he acknowledged
there have been times when people have told
him that his sexual orientation has been a reason
why he has not been invited to events.
“No one has done it to my face during the
time I’ve been an elected leader, but nobody has
said I don’t understand the community issues
because of this and no one can deny that I’ve
lived the community issues,” he said.
Among his biggest fans, unsurprisingly, is his
partner of 13 years, Corey Weaver, who Pierre
said encouraged him to run for district leader
in the fi rst place and has helped quell his fears
about serving as an out gay elected offi cial.
“He has always been supportive of me as I’ve
gone through this process,” Pierre said. “He was
one of the people who encouraged me in addition
to my friends and community members
POLITICS
They continued, “Activism and politics starts
with you, the people on the local level. When I
go into City Hall as your city councilmember,
the voice I’m taking with me is your voice. This
is somebody who’s gonna get things done for
you. I’m going to listen to you and I’m going to
work for you.”
The campaign’s website is short on details
about Cummings’ political platform, but it’s
early — the announcement notably comes
nearly two years before the Democratic primary
election in June of 2021.
Cummings, who grew up on a farm in Maryland
and moved to the city at age 17, has also
played a role in advocating for LGBTQ youth.
They have worked with the Hetrick-Martin
Institute, which provides resources services
to queer youth, and serves as on the board of
the Ali Forney Center, which provides housing
and other services to homeless LGBTQ youth
across the fi ve boroughs.
Cummings is vying to join the City Council
at a time when queer representation there
is hanging in the balance. All fi ve of the out
LGBTQ councilmembers are term-limited and
will be leaving offi ce in January 2021, which
prompted a group of political leaders earlier
this year to launch a candidate recruitment
effort dubbed LGBTQ in 2021.
It does not appear that Cummings yet has
any announced opponents at this early stage
in the race.
who tell me I have a lot to offer to the community.
Weaver is currently disabled but I hope
to have him on the campaign trail with me at
some point.”
Whether or not Pierre emerges victorious
during the looming primary competition, he
hopes his candidacy can serve as a beacon of
hope for kids at a time when diversity of political
representation remains, in many settings,
merely an aspiration. And, no matter the result
of his campaign, he has already proven to his
21-year-old self that he can succeed in politics
as an out gay man.
“I’m living my truth now,” Pierre said. “I think
there are kids coming up right now who want
to live their truth. I think particularly among
young black queer youth we know for a fact there
are higher levels of suicide. I think being a public
fi gure, a professional, and being somebody
who is out and proud and a professional who is
respected in my community — I got re-elected
twice to the role of district leader — I think that
is going to inspire young people and let them
know they can reach their maximum potential,
whatever it is they decide to do in life.”
GayCityNews.com | September 12 - September 25, 2019 9
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