POLITICS
Young Republicans Imperil Public Health in Jersey
Selfi sh GOP crowd, notorious right-wing guests own the libs by putting lives at risk
BY ANDY HUMM
The New York Young Republicans
(NYYR) were
too afraid to hold their
annual gala on December
3 in their home state so they
fl ed to New Jersey for an evening
of COVID code violations that got
their venue shuttered. The Jersey
City Department of Health ordered
Maritime Parc closed for failing to
comply with Governor Phil Murphy’s
orders regarding capacity
and mask wearing.
Pictures posted by the club online
showed the group’s members
crowding around special guest
Matt Gaetz, a fl amboyantly rightwing
US House member from Florida
— all without masks — while
the venue servers cowered on the
sidelines with masks on.
At his COVID briefi ng the next
day, Murphy said, “It is beyond the
pale that anyone would willingly
endanger people in another state
never mind their own. It is also
beyond the pale that a member
of Congress would participate in
this, and that guy is Representative
Matt Putz — sorry Matt Gaetz
— based on his past performances
being a knucklehead is not beyond
the pale for him.”
Murphy showed a picture of
Gaetz mockingly wearing a gas
mask in the US House during the
early days of the pandemic.
“What a fool. He is never welcome
back in this state,” Murhpy
said, adding that law enforcement
was investigating and will take action
as appropriate.
James O’Keefe of the right-wing
group Project Veritas — notorious
for deceptively edited videos dishonestly
seeking to discredit progressive
groups — keynoted the superspreader
event and tweeted, “There is UNITED AGAINST RACISM & FASCISM-NYC
Smarmy, maskless young Republicans gleefully swarm around the witless Matt Gaetz during a group
photo at a December 3 superspreader party in Jersey City, as the venue’s masked staff (circled in yellow)
cower in the corner.
➤ YOUNG REPUBLICANS, continued on p.15
Queer Pols: B’klyn Dems Pink-Washed Non-Binary Rules
Queer pols, advocates object party’s proposal to expand gender-neutral representation
BY KEVIN DUGGAN
Brooklyn Democratic
Party bigwigs used a
new gender non-binary
inclusion rule to consolidate
power among their executive
ranks, progressive pols and activists
— including the borough’s LGBTQ
political club — claim.
The 42 members of the organization’s
Executive Committee
passed a rule change on Sunday
ostensibly to allow non-binary
Democrats to run for the larger,
roughly 2,000-member County
Committee — rather than specifi -
cally designating half the seats for
males, and half for females.
While progressive activists had
pushed for that change, many were
blindsided when the rule included
a provision that gave the Executive
Committee — which has historically
COURTESY OF BROOKLYN PAPER
Julio Peñ a was among the out queer members
of the Brooklyn Democratic boss’ task force
who objected to what they said was a power
grab introduced under the guise of non-binary
inclusiveness in governing the county party.
been composed of mostly
party insiders — far more power
in controlling the party apparatus
than the larger County Committee,
which tends to include more
grassroots members.
Under the new rules, the Executive
Committee members, who
hold the unpaid offi ce of district
leader, can now nominate and fi ll
vacancies in the County Committee
— effectively allowing them to
determine the makeup of the party’s
rank-and-fi le membership.
“It’s pink-washing. You’re saying
you’re being inclusive but in
the same breath you’re adding all
of these other things that negate
that,” said Sunset Park District
Leader Julio Peña, a progressive
reformer elected to the Executive
Committee earlier this year. “They
used an opportunity to include
folks who were not able to be part of
County Committee, and co-opted
it as an opportunity to power grab
for fi lling vacancies for everyone.”
The November 29 rule change
was touted as making the County
Committee more inclusive by creating
84 gender-neutral slots for
Brooklynites to run for offi ce as a
County Committee member, the
lowest rung of elected offi ce representing
the borough’s Election Districts,
which typically encompasses
a block or two. There are more
than 5,400 of those seats, with
roughly 2,100 of them currently
fi lled, versus 3,300 that sit vacant.
The 84 gender-neutral slots would
be at-large posts, with four representing
each of the borough’s State
Assembly Districts.
Each such district has either two
or four seats, equally divided between
male and female members,
a stipulation that was a 1930’sera
measure meant to bring more
women into politics, but has more
recently disenfranchised people
who don’t identify with a binary
gender.
➤ PINK-WASHED, continued on p.15
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