ADVOCACY
Equality New York Appoints First Co-Chairs
Four-year-old statewide advocacy group marks new era with two experienced activists
BY MATT TRACY
Equality New York (EQNY),
a statewide LGBTQ advocacy
group, has appointed
activist Cathy Marino-
Thomas, who served as executive
director and later board chair at
Marriage Equality New York, and
New York Transgender Advocacy
Group (NYTAG) co-founder Tanya
Asapansa Walker as the organization’s
fi rst co-chairs.
Marino-Thomas and Walker will
embark on three-year terms with
the four-year-old organization as
they aim to build up EQNY’s presence
and infl uence across the
state.
Their appointments come in the
aftermath of a 2020 election season
that ushered in a new president
but also saw some warning signs
for Democrats in both the House
of Representatives and in the New
York State Legislature, even as
queer representation expanded.
Advocates will also have to contend
with a reshaped judiciary on
the federal level that was shoved to
the right during the Trump era.
Still, the organization recognizes
there are opportunities for positive
change, including locally and on
the criminal justice front, especially
after a major protest movement
emerged over the summer and
placed an overdue spotlight on racial
injustice. Among other top issues
looming at the statewide level
is the question of decriminalizing
sex work, and advocates have, for
now, prioritized the movement to
repeal a discriminatory loitering
law known as a ban on walking
while trans. Improving healthcare
access is also a critical challenge
— in New York and nationwide.
“State level laws are more important
than ever,” Marino-Thomas
said in a written statement announcing
the new appointments.
“I am thrilled to be working with
Tanya, executive director Amanda
Babine, and everyone at EQNY
to ensure NYS is a place for everyone.”
Walker said the pair is determined
— even during a pandemic
Tanya Asapansa Walker.
Cathy Marino-Thomas
— to continue building on the
achievements in the queer community,
and she underscored the
importance of electing “equalityminded”
individuals to offi ce in the
state.
PHOTO DONNA ACETO
DONNA ACETO
“The road ahead will not be easy
but we will prevail,” Walker noted
in a written statement.
The new leaders bring many
years of experience to their new
roles. Marino-Thomas spearheaded
Marriage Equality New York, later
known as Marriage Equality USA,
and has played a key role at Gays
Against Guns, which emerged in
the immediate aftermath of the
2016 Pulse nightclub massacre in
Orlando. Walker, a military veteran,
established a long track record
of infl uential activism in her
role with NYTAG and has brought
urgency to addressing the needs
of transgender individuals of color.
Most recently, she took on the
Trump administration in court for
gutting gender identity protections
in the Affordable Care Act.
The months and years ahead
will indeed present prime opportunities
to elect what Walker described
as “equality-minded” candidates
to offi ce across multiple
levels of government. A robust slate
of queer candidates are vying for
seats in the New York City Council
next year and the 2020 elections
brought historic breakthroughs for
LGBTQ candidates in the state.
In the State Legislature, queer
incumbents were re-elected and
schoolteacher Jabari Brisport of
Brooklyn became the fi rst out LGBTQ
person of color elected to the
State Senate. At the federal level,
out gay congressional candidate
Ritchie Torres of the Bronx became
the fi rst out gay Afro-Latinx member
of Congress while Mondaire
Jones of Northern Westchester and
Rockland County became the fi rst
out gay Black representative. They
grew the state’s LGBTQ representation
in Congress as they join out
gay four-term Congressmember
Sean Patrick Maloney of the Hudson
Valley, who appears poised to
survive a tough challenge for his
seat this year pending absentee
ballot tallies.
Other EQNY members welcomed
Walker and Marino-Thomas in
their new roles. EQNY’s co-founder,
Gabriel, Blau, described the pair as
“the leaders our state needs” in order
for the organization to continue
growing and making an impact on
queer issues statewide.
“There could not be a clearer en-
➤ EQNY CO-CHAIRS, continued on p.17
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