New York City mayoral candidate Andrew Yang reportedly failed at impressing a gay Democratic club after seeking its endorsement, according to The New York Times.
Yang met with the Stonewall Democratic Club of New York City on Wednesday, but participants weren’t impressed with what he had to say, according to the report.
“In an interview with the Stonewall Democratic Club…Yang cited gay members of his staff as apparent evidence of his openness to the club’s concerns….”You’re so human and beautiful,” he told the group. https://t.co/gSKf15770v
— Eliza Shapiro (@elizashapiro) April 22, 2021
The mayoral candidate reportedly talked about his gay staff members, his enthusiasm about visiting New York lesbian bar Cubbyhole, as well as his desire to resurrect the city’s Pride March. Participants were disappointed that Yang failed to talk about more substantive issues such as homelessness and affordable housing.
President of the Stonewall Democratic Club Rose Christ said Yang was “unlikely to win an endorsement” because he addressed the attendees in an “outdated” way and failed to talk about more consequential issues.
“Those are not the substantive issues that our membership cares about, and it came off poorly,” Ms. Christ said. (RELATED: Andrew Yang Has Commanding Lead In NYC Mayoral Race, Poll Shows)
Multiple participants were disappointed and offended by Yang’s comments. One participant allegedly wrote in the chat, “Gay, gay, gay. Wow. More to us than just that.” Harris Doran, a club member, and filmmaker told The New York Times Yang’s reference to the gay community as “your community” was particularly stunning. “He kept calling us ‘Your community,’ like we were aliens,” Doran said.
Another participant, Alejandra Caraballo, said Yang was “in over his head.” “When I see a candidate come in just with Michael Scott levels of cringe and insensitivity, it either tells me Andrew Yang is in over his head or is not listening to his staff. Those are both radioactive flashing signs that say he is not prepared to be mayor of New York,” he said.