Dear fellow Stonewall Democratic Club member, I am a candidate for New York City Council in District 5 on Manhattans Upper

East Side and Roosevelt Island, and I am asking for your support in the Stonewall Democratic Clubs endorsement vote on Wednesday, May 29th. For the last six years, with the support of the Stonewall Democratic Club, Ive represented those same neighborhoods in the New York State Assembly, where Ive been an independent, progressive voice whos made a difference when it mattered most. I have a record of working to bring new schools to the community, passing legislation to protect patients from unscrupulous insurance practices, leading the charge against public corruption in Albany, and fighting to protect the quality of life in the communities I represent. Now, as we face turnover in every citywide office and in the top leadership of the City Council, I want to bring the same record of effective advocacy and legislative experience to the New York City Council. The first openly bisexual Member of the State Legislature, Ive been an outspoken champion of LGBT New Yorkers in public office. I was proud to deliver my very first speech on the Assembly floor on behalf of the historic marriage equality legislation, and Ive similarly been an outspoken advocate for the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA) and the Dignity for All Students Act, and Ive championed programs benefiting youth and seniors and health initiatives for members of the LGBT community, and directed a legislative grant to the Hetrick-Martin Institute. Inspired by an idea conceived by former SDNYC President Tom Smith, I wrote and introduced legislation requiring the New York State Office of the Aging to monitor the needs of traditionally underserved elderly populations, including those in LGBT communities, and to provide technical assistance and grants-in-aid to organizations like SAGE (Services & Advocacy for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Elders), so that they can better provide their services to LGBT seniors, a measure sponsored in the Senate by Tom Duane and signed into law by Governor Cuomo in 2011. I also wrote and introduced legislation to require judges in criminal court to instruct juries to disregard appeals to bias and prejudice through courtroom tactics, such as when a perpetrator of a crime employs a panic defense strategy. In addition, I was a sponsor of a bill to allow two unrelated adults to adopt children, a critical need prior to the enactment of same-sex marriage in New York State. As a member of the City Councils LGBT caucus, I will bring the same kind of outspoken advocacy on behalf of our communities. I hope I can count on your support in the Stonewall Democratic Clubs endorsement vote for City Council in District 5 on Wednesday night! Sincerely, MICAH Z. KELLNER
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