SATURDAY POLITICS: Record 6 Openly LGBT Members of NYC City Council

Carlos Menchaca became the first openly gay councilperson elected in Brooklyn

New York City held its primary election this past Tuesday and although the results of whether Bill de Blasio made the required 40% to avoid a run-off are still not finalized, there were some exciting moments for the LGBT community despite the unsuccessful end of openly lesbian City Council Speaker Christine Quinn's run to become the first openly LGBT person elected to head the nation's largest city.

The Gay Politics blog of the Victory Fund reports:

Historic wins came in the outer boroughs, where Brooklyn’s Carlos Menchaca [pictured] upset incumbent Sara Gonzalez in the District 38 race with 58% of the vote. In the Bronx, voters in District 15 elected Ritchie Torres with 36% of the vote in a 6-way race. Both Menchaca and Torres will become the first openly gay Councilmembers from their respective boroughs. 

Incumbents Danny Dromm of District 25 and Jimmy Van Bramer of District 26 were unopposed in Tuesday’s primary elections, while District 2 Councilwoman Rosie Mendez fended off a primary challenge and secured a third term with 81% of the vote. Finally, Corey Johnson won the District 3 primary with 63% of the vote to succeed Council speaker Christine Quinn.

The New York City council will most likely have 6 openly LGBT members out of a total of 51 members, which is pretty good representation of 11.7%!

Congratulations to everyone.