Do We Like Christine Quinn?

Ever since Christine Quinn's mayoral candidacy was announced, I've been debating with myself whether she's someone I would vote for. I'm still undecided on the matter and it appears that I'm not the only one. Cara Giaimo's article, Christine Quinn: Because Just Being Gay Isn't Enough To Deserve the Gay Vote for Autostraddle explores the pros and cons of Christine Quinn's policies and political agenda.

What I found most interesting about Giaimo's article was her mention of the effects of the Stop and Frisk policy on the LGBT community. Very rarely is sexuality in the headlines regarding the Stop and Frisk policy, but a quick Google search led me to Arrests by the Fashion Police, a New York Times article detailing the issues trans people face with the Stop and Frisk policy in NYC. Apparently, trans people are being targeted by police and often arrested for allegedly being prostitutes. What evidence do these officers have? condoms in the pockets of those being stopped and frisked.

Image from The Daily News

Most of Quinn's political agenda has left me on the fence; I don't entirely agree with keeping Ray Kelly on as police commissioner and her lack of support on issues that directly concern women and the LGBT community contradicts her alleged stance on those issues, often citing the timing just isn't right. Giaimo remains diplomatic, concluding her article with "Overall, politics is politics." Quinn is just one of many candidates that have contradictory political practices and in some cases even sketchy ones.

Am I going to vote for Quinn? Still too early to tell, but Giaimo's article did inspire to me to delve deep into every candidates political agenda as well as their past and current support for policy change. I guess the fact that Quinn is an out lesbian woman drew me to her and made me want to support her, but I realize it takes more than an image of a disfranchised community to earn my vote - I need action.


Go to Autostraddle to read Cara Giaimo's full article: Christine Quinn: Because Just Being Gay Isn't Enough To Deserve the Gay Vote

For more information on the Stop and Frisk LGBT discrimination, read The Village Voice's Profiled by NYPD, Transgendered People in New York Fear Carrying Condoms and the New York Times' Arrests by the Fashion Police