Gay City News Endorses Daniel Dromm

From Gay City News:
In Queens District 25, longtime LGBT and Democratic Party activist Daniel Dromm is taking on incumbent Helen Sears to represent Jackson Heights, Elmhurst, Woodside, and Corona. Dating back to the early 1990s, when the anti-gay murder of Julio Rivera sparked outrage and a determination to speak up and be visible in Queens, he has played a critical leadership role in the borough’s LGBT community — in its annual pride celebration, its community center, a gay Democratic club, and assisting the victims of homophobic violence and their families. During the education curriculum wars of the early ’90s, Dromm, a school teacher, became the target of a vicious anti-gay propaganda campaign waged by a local school board member, a challenge he surmounted with considerable dignity. This year, an anonymous smear campaign, based on a 38-year-old tale of his arrest as a teenager when police nabbed him necking in a parked car, was launched against him, a reminder that gay sexuality will always be an issue for some in politics.

The dust-up this year is particularly unfortunate given Sears’ good record on gay issues, which has attracted support among several LGBT leaders in Queens. Notwithstanding the incumbent’s embrace of our community’s agenda, she has had eight years on the Council, and Dromm would be a welcome gay voice from a district outside Manhattan. He is a dedicated activist and hard worker who has kept on his toes throughout a long campaign season. Dromm deserves support from LGBT voters.