Looking Out For Those Around Me

EARLY LIFE

I was born in Flushing, Queens and raised with my four siblings in Commack, Long Island. My parents were both first generation Irish immigrants, whose parents had to leave Ireland because of their religion. My Dad was the first in his family to go to college, and my Mom was a progressive homemaker. Unfortunately, when I was 12 my Mom died quickly of pancreatic cancer. My Dad was never the same, and my siblings and I largely raised ourselves. I put myself through college, and earned a B.A. in Public Affairs from George Washington University. In undergraduate school, I fell in love with someone who happened to be a man -my now husband John.

Law School & Legal Practice

After college, John and I moved to New York City together because it was one of the few places in the country where we knew we could live safely as a gay couple. In 1983, the City University of New York opened a public interest law school which I could afford. When I graduated, I didn’t take my degree and go make money, instead I worked as a Public Defender in the criminal defense division of Brooklyn’s Legal Aid Society. For seven years, I represented New Yorkers who the system had failed, and defended those without financial means. After that, I used my experience to open a public interest law firm on the Upper West Side, where I helped clients with tenant representation and civil rights litigation, ranging from employee discrimination to First Amendment rights.

Member of the New York State Assembly

In 2002 I proudly became the first openly gay man elected to the NY State Assembly. Since then, I have never stopped being a progressive voice for civil rights reforms. I’ve been the prime sponsor of trailblazing bills, most notably the Marriage Equality Act, a bill I led to passage in the Assembly five times before it was taken up and passed by the Senate, and eventually signed into law in 2011.

I have taken on issues big and small, and I am proud of the victories we’ve won. I was the sponsor of NY’s anti-bullying law, the Dignity for All Students Act, successfully lowered NYC speed limits to 25mph, expanded sexual harassment protections to unpaid interns, mandated mental health discharge plans for incarcerated individuals, and passed the Domestic Violence Escalation Prevention Act - banning those convicted of domestic violence from owning any type of firearm.

Morningside Heights, Manhattanville, and the Upper West Side

My heart is always in my neighborhood. From the vibrant parks, to the world class local businesses, to the people who make up the 69th District - I love our community. I have worked to protect affordable housing, pushed back against against overdevelopment by creating the Morningside Heights Historic District, and passed historic protections for tenants. I have fought to save small business in our neighborhoods, to preserve and enhance community gardens and keep our tenants and neighbors from being evicted. We live in the best neighborhood in the world - and want to keep making it better.

Personal

After I passed Marriage Equality, I was finally able to get the piece of paper I needed to marry the love of my life. Our struggles for equality, and the struggles of those I’ve worked with as a Public Defender and as Chair of the Corrections Committee have never left me. I don’t compromise on people’s civil rights, and I fight for everyone who’s left behind, because at the end of the day, our struggles are connected, and we all deserve respect, equality, and the ability to pursue our dreams.