NY City Council Celebrates LGBT Pride

The New York City Council kicked off LGBT Pride Month on June 2 by hosting a celebration in Council Chambers at City Hall. New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and members of the Council LGBT Caucus honored several community leaders and organizations for their work to advance LGBT issues. LGBT rights advocate George Takei, well known for playing Mr. Sulu on the original Star Trek television series, served as master of ceremonies for the event, which also featured performances by Middle Church Choir and Stars of Change of the Hetrick-Martin Institute.

Amida Care was happy to join the celebration, and we applaud the Council and the honorees for their commitment to New York City’s LGBT community. The Council Speaker and members of the LGBT Caucus—Council Members Daniel Dromm, Corey Johnson, Carlos Menchaca, Rosie Mendez, Ritchie Torres, and Majority Leader Jimmy Van Bramer—presented honorees with Proclamations in recognition of their dedication to social justice and their efforts to improve LGBT health, housing, education, equity, and human rights.

Honorees were longtime LGBT activist Kevin Finnegan, political director of 1199 SEIU United Healthcare Workers East; Hetrick-Martin Institute’s Health and Wellness Programs and Internships; Andy Humm, host of Gay USA; transgender advocate Joselyn Mendoza; Zully Rolan, director at the South Brooklyn-based nonprofit community development corporation Fifth Avenue Committee and former chair of Brooklyn Pride; Sharon Stapel, executive director of the New York City Gay and Lesbian Anti-Violence Project; and Kim Watson, co-founder of Community Kinship Life (CKLife), which provides assistance to affirmed men and women.