Christine Quinn Says She'll 'Raise [Her] Voice' But Won't 'Misuse [Her] Office' to Boot Chick-fil-A from NYU

Christine Quinn sent a strongly-worded letter over the weekend to NYU President John Sexton urging him to boot Chick-fil-A from his campus.

Said Quinn in the letter: "I do not want establishments in my city that hold such discriminatory views. I urge you to sever your relationship with the Chick-fil-A establishment that exists on your campus. This establishment should be replaced with an establishment where the ownership does not denigrate a portion of our population."

Yesterday, in a talk with reporters, Quinn clarified her remarks, saying she would not use her office to get rid of the chicken chain, the NY Post reports:

“I support businesses that are open and inclusive, that reflect the viewpoint of New York City, the most diverse city in the world. That said, businesses that follow our laws have a right to open here. I don’t want businesses that hold discriminatory views and feelings, but I don’t have any legal recourse or reason to block this company. I’m raising my voice, which can be loud at times, but I’m never going to misuse this office in any way at all.”

The statement brings her more in line with NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who told reporters that it's "not government's job" to block businesses based on their political beliefs.

NYC City Council Speaker Christine Quinn Asks NYU President to Kick Chick-fil-A Off its Campus

NYC City Council Speaker Christine Quinn is urging New York University, which rents space to the city's only Chick-fil-A restaurant, to kick the franchise off its campus because of its support for anti-gay causes.

Says Quinn, in part, in a letter sent today to NYU President John Sexton:

NYC is a place where we celebrate diversity. We do not believe in denigrating others...As you know from recent press coverage, the President of Chick-fil-A continues to make statements and support causes that are clear messages of extreme intolerance and homophobia and a belief that LGBT Americans are less than others and deserve to be treated as such.

Let me be clear -- I do not want establishments in my city that hold such discriminatory views.

I urge you to sever your relationship with the Chick-fil-A establishment that exists on your campus. This establishment should be replaced with an establishment where the ownership does not denigrate a portion of our population.

Quinn's full letter, AFTER THE JUMP...

Quinn's move comes a day after NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg told reporters that it's "not government's job" to block businesses based on their political beliefs.

However, it's unclear how Chick-fil-A's position might fare under the auspices of a university that strives not to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation.

Quinn has also started a petition on Change.org demanding Chick-fil-A President Dan Cathy apologize and change his position.

NYC's Bloomberg And Quinn Join Big Apple In Asking SCOTUS To Review DOMA

In what may be the most high-profile "friend of the court" brief filed for marriage equality, the City of New York, including Mayor Mike Bloomberg and lesbian City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, came out against the Defense of Marriage Act and asked the Supreme Court to review the law's constitutionality.

From The Washington Blade:

[The brief asks] the justices to take up lesbian Edith Windsor’s challenge to DOMA, known as Windsor v. United States.

Windsor, a New York City widow, had to pay nearly $363,000 in federal estates taxes upon the death of her spouse, Thea Spyer, in 2009 because of Section 3 of DOMA, which prohibits federal recognition of same-sex marriage.

The 14-page brief calls DOMA “the last remaining obstacle to achieving legal equality between the city’s married couples” while making the case to strike down the anti-gay law.

"Solely because of DOMA, Edith Windsor was required to pay more than $363,000 in federal estate tax on her legal spouse’s estate," the brief states. …

"As a result of DOMA, thousands of legally married same-sex couples in the New York City are being subjected to this type of disparate treatment because their legal marriages are not recognized under federal law."

The briefing's filing comes one day after marriage equality generated about $260 million in revenue for New York over the last year. 

Quinn Denounces Anti-Gay, Racist Carriage Incident; Drivers' Union to Undergo Anti-Discrimination Training

Earlier today, Towleroad posted video of a disturbing incident which took place over LGBT Pride in which a carriage horse driver hurled racist, sexist, homophobic slurs at a group of women leafleting nearby, along with a letter from Martina Navratilova condemning the incident and urging Speaker Christine Quinn to do so as well.

In the video, the driver is seen calling one woman a "f**king ni**er" and a "c*nt", and mocking the group of them for attending "the dyke convention".

Navratilova also used the opportunity as an animal rights activist and PETA spokesperson to urge the Speaker to change her position on the carriage industry as a whole and replace the horse-drawn carriages with cruelty-free eco-friendly cars.

Quinn responded to the incident and Navratilova's statement with a letter to the Teamsters Union and to Navratilova herself, both of which Towleroad obtained after reaching out to Quinn's office for a response to our original post.

Read them, AFTER THE JUMP...

Quinn's letter to the Teamsters Local 553 Union blasts the driver's behavior. The Union responded immediately, according to the NYT blog City Room, which picked up the story:

On Tuesday, Ms. Quinn said the union representing carriage drivers had agreed to immediately require its members to undergo anti-discrimination training. Ms. Quinn said her office would work with the union to find an appropriate gay-rights organization to help put the training in place.

Said Quinn in the letter, which urged the training:

A video of one of your carriage horse drivers verbally assaulting a group of women during NYC’s LGBT Pride week was recently brought to my attention. The behavior depicted in this video is reprehensible and unacceptable from anyone, and is especially unbefitting of an industry the City Council has made sure treats its animals humanely...What happened to these women is truly outrageous and wrong and should not be tolerated.

Quinn also responded to Navratilova's criticism of the carriage horse industry, emphasizing practices which she says assure the safety and health of the carriage horses, but was not persuaded to change her position on their employment on New York City streets:

Given the tough economic times that we are in, we continue to believe that our current regulatory scheme, which does not permit the operation of electronic cars, strikes a fair balance between having stronger regulations in place to protect these horses while allowing an industry that generates vital jobs and tourism for our city to continue.

Read both of Quinn's letters, AFTER THE JUMP...

Martina Navratilova Blasts NYC's 'Cruel' Horse-Drawn Carriage Industry After Anti-Gay, Racist Incident: VIDEO

EXCLUSIVE

PETA spokeswoman Martina Navratilova has sent a letter to NYC City Council speaker Christine Quinn on the group's behalf condemning the horse-drawn carriage industry following a disturbing incident over LGBT Pride weekend which was captured on video in which a group of women leafleting near the carriages were verbally assaulted with homophobic and racist slurs by one of the drivers.

Navratilova says the incident is just further proof that the NYC horse-drawn carriage industry, given recent accidents which have led to horse and human injuries, needs an overhaul, and urges Quinn to change her position on the issue.

Watch the video, AFTER THE JUMP....

Navratilova's letter to Quinn:

July 16, 2012
 
The Honorable Christine Quinn
New York City Council Speaker
 
Dear Speaker Quinn:
 
I'm writing to ask that you shift your position on the city's horse-drawn carriage problem, not just because of the danger and the cruelty endured by the horses in midtown traffic but also because of the aggressive homophobia exhibited by carriage drivers.
 
As any animal lover will tell you, the carriage drivers you support spew hate when anyone expresses concern for the horses they force to work in all weather extremes, and during Pride weekend it was captured on video. "You have a big dyke convention here?" shouted the driver at a small group of women, mostly seniors, who were peacefully leafleting near where the carriages line up. "F**king ni**er," he said to a black woman in the group. How can you support such a scurrilous industry that spouts racist and homophobic vitriol?
 
Many PETA advocates, including me, are gay. We share a heightened sense of responsibility in fighting the callous disregard that many have for animal suffering because we have experienced a similar disregard for the cruelty that we ourselves have faced. You are a champion of gay rights; won't you extend your compassion to the city's beleaguered working animals? These animals have been stripped of all their rights and have been denied the opportunity to fulfill their natural instincts. And for years, there have been accidents resulting in horse deaths and human injuries, the most recent occurring just last month when an SUV collided with a horse, which I hope you read about. That's why I urge you to support Intro. 86A, the bill seeking to replace the archaic horse-drawn carriages with eco-friendly classic cars. At the very least, won't you green-light the pilot program to test the viability of this savvy idea? It doesn't cost the city a cent or any jobs and is sure to be a hit with tourists. All eyes are on you to make the right move.
 
As evidenced by the hateful, bigoted carriage driver in the video, everything about this industry is stuck in the 19th century. Help us move into a more civilized future. I look forward to hearing from you on this important matter.
 
Sincerely,
 
Martina Navratilova

Watch the video, AFTER THE JUMP...

An UPDATE to the story HERE.

Exclusive - please credit Towleroad...

Bloomberg News Dissects Christine Quinn's Political Style

As she prepares for her wedding and continues to lay the groundwork for her forthcoming mayoral race, Bloomberg News takes a closer look at New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn.

In addition to examining her relationship with Mayor Mike Bloomberg, founder of the news outlet, and her humble beginnings, the article also includes critiques on Quinn's at-times contentious political style, a style at least one person describes as a "throwback."

“She’s a throwback to the Irish-American political bosses in the history books,” said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac Polling Institute in Hamden, Connecticut. Its May 10 survey found that she led a five-candidate Democratic field with 26 percent approval, twice as much as her nearest rival. “She’s always thinking, ‘What do we need to win?’”

This is of course what every other politician in history is constantly thinking, so I guess she knows what she's doing.