VIDEO: Van Bramer Connects LGBTQ Youth, Activism, and Fighting Trump For Queens

QUEENS, NY (10/22/2019) (readMedia)-- Today, Jimmy Van Bramer released a campaign video first featured in Politico New York about coming to terms with his sexuality as a teenager, rise to political activism, and his leadership today in the Trump era. The video illustrates how Van Bramer's own struggles made him want to fight for the diverse and marginalized communities of Queens including immigrants, communities of color, women, and LGBTQ New Yorkers. Van Bramer is running for Queens Borough President.

Watch the video in English here. Watch the video with Spanish subtitles here.

Van Bramer grew up in Astoria, New York, and organized the first queer group of students to be recognized on St. John's University campus and the first Queens Pride Parade in 1993. Later, Van Bramer organized with Citizen Action to create the current public match funds system in 1998. When he ran for office, he ran against Machine candidates and won his first election in 2009. You can read more of his history here.

As a city councilmember, Van Bramer continues to advocate for progressive issues. As a Queens Borough President candidate, he has pledged to not accept donations from the real estate industry. He is also leading the race in small dollar contributions.

TRANSCRIPT

I was seventeen and staring into an abyss.

I was growing up in a traditional Catholic family, working poor in a working class neighborhood. My mother collected pennies so we could eat.

And there were no shortage of bullies. I was depressed and I was gay.

My life was saved when I walked into a meeting of a local LGBTQ youth group, and I was welcomed. I knew then I wasn't alone. They pulled me back from the abyss. And for the first time, I said to myself, it's going to be okay. I was on my way to being free.

Since Donald Trump was elected, so many of us felt like we were staring into another kind of abyss.

Seeing immigrant families separated, white supremacists celebrated, but I'm an organizer. So I've joined my neighbors in saying we can resist, and stand up for Queens values.

"Is Queens ready to fight back?"

For twenty years, I've stood up to the Queens County Democratic Machine. A grown-up version of the playground bully crowd.

Together we've built a movement, I began as an organizer, working on the campaign to get big money out of New York City politics. I fought for years for our public libraries. When I was elected myself, I was stood up to the big real estate developers who put profits before people and returned their money. And I helped bust a developer who tried to bribe me.

Now we're in the fight of our lives, organizing for our values as New Yorkers in the most diverse urban area in the world. Standing up against racist policies that target the people that makes Queens what it is. Allies to our hard working neighbors persecuted by our own government. Standing up against the forces of greed that would squeeze families out of their homes, and destroy our planet. And I know none of us can do it alone. We have to do it together. With our values, Queens values, leading the way.

Spanish translation:

Tenía diecisiete años y contemplaba el abismo.

Mi familia era católica y tradicional, Trabajadora, de clase obrera, y vivía en un vecindario de gente humilde.

Mi madre juntaba los centavos para que pudiéramos comer.

Y los bullies abundaban. Estaba deprimido. Y era gay.

Mi vida cambió cuando entré a una reunión de un grupo local para jóvenes LGBTQ y me sentí bienvenido.

Supe que no estaba solo. Me sacaron del abismo. Y por primera vez me dije, "Todo va a salir bien". Estaba camino a ser libre.

Desde que Donald Trump fue elegido muchos de nosotros hemos sentido que contemplábamos otro tipo de abismo. al ver la separación de familias inmigrantes y oír halagos a defensores de la supremacía blanca.

Pero soy un organizador communitario. Asi que me uní a mis vecinos al decir

Nosotros podemos resistir y defender los valores de Queens.

"¿Queens está listo para luchar?"

Gente: "¡Sí!"

Durante casi 20 años me enfrente a la burocracia demócrata del condado de Queens, una versión adulta de los bullies del patio de juegos.

Juntos, hemos creado un movimiento.

Empecé como organizador comunitario trabajando en la campaña para eliminar la influencia de los ricos en la política de la ciudad de Nueva York.

Y luché por muchos años en favor de nuestras bibliotecas públicas.

Cuando fui elegido, me opuse a los grandes desarrollistas que ponen sus intereses económicos por encima de los intereses de la comunidad. y les devolví su dinero.

Y ayudé a que arrestaran a un desarrollista que intentó sobornarme.

Ahora estamos luchando la batalla mas importante de nuestras vidas organizandonos para abogar por nuestros valores como neoyorquinos en la ciudad más diversa del mundo.

Nos oponemos al racismo y la xenophobia. que afectan a los vecinos que hace de Queens nuestra communidad. Como aliados de nuestros vecinos que trabajan tanto mientras son perseguidos por nuestro propio gobierno. Nos oponemos a las fuerzas de la avaricia dispuestas a forzar a familias fuera de sus casas y destruir nuestro planeta. Y sé que ninguno de nosotros puede hacerlo solo. Tenemos que hacerlo juntos. Con nuestros valores, los valores de Queens, liderando el camino.

Background on Van Bramer:

Jimmy Van Bramer, born and raised in Astoria, Queens, is the Deputy Leader of the New York City Council. He was first elected to the New York City Council on November 3, 2009, and re-elected in both 2013 and 2017. Van Bramer is a founding member of the progressive caucus of the New York City Council.

He works tirelessly to fight for working people, equality for all, and the importance of improving quality of life in our community- values instilled by his parents. His father, William Van Bramer, was a lifelong member of Printers' and Pressman's Union Local 2, and his mother Elizabeth Van Bramer helped support the family- even through bouts of homelessness and food insecurity -- by taking a variety of jobs in their neighborhood, and was a member of Local 1893 of the International Brotherhood of Painters.

His first foray into organizing was when he was a St. John's University student in 1993, leading a queer group of students who fought to be officially recognized by the largest catholic university in the country. Later, he organized for Ed Sedarbaum's 1998 State Senate race, gravitating towards the nascent movement to elect queer people in Queens and starting his personal decades long fight with the Queens County Democratic Party machine.

In 1998, he was an organizer with Citizen Action of New York to create what-is-now today's current New York City campaign finance system with matching funds. At the same time, he lead civil disobedience actions with Irish LGBTQ folks trying to march in the city's St. Patrick's Day parades, which previously banned openly queer groups from marching.

In 2001, he stepped forward as the insurgent candidate against the Queens machine for City Council, coming in second. In the ensuing years, he worked as an organizer for the Queens Public Library and joined the board of the Queens Council on the Arts. In 2009, Van Bramer won his City Council election against Queens County machine pick Deirdre Feerick. He similarly bucked the machine to back Melissa Mark-Viverito for Speaker.

Recently he was a leader in the opposition to $3 billion of tax subsidies for Amazon HQ2 and was the first Queens elected official to endorse Tiffany Cabán for Queens District Attorney.

He currently lives in Sunnyside Gardens with his husband Dan Hendrick. Jimmy married Dan on July 28th, 2012, becoming the first openly-gay elected official to get married in the borough of Queens.