Christine Quinn
Quinn made history this year by becoming the first woman and openly gay City Council Speaker for New York. Since she joined the City Council in 1999, she has worked for comprehensive health care, better schools, tenants’ rights and equality for the gay community. Quinn led the passage and subsequent veto override of the Equal Benefits Bill, which mandates that all corporations contracting with the city for more than $100,000 provide health care to all partners, including same sex couples. Quinn continues to fight for marriage equality, saying, “Whenever you have a right that’s bestowed by government that some people can have and other people can’t have, it’s discriminatory, and you have to strike out against that.” Among her many accomplishments, she has worked toward funding for HIV prevention services and has increased access to mammograms for New York women.
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