Andrew Yang, the former Democratic 2020 presidential contender who is running to be the next mayor of New York City, is facing backlash over his policies and lost the endorsement of a prominent LGBTQ political group Thursday.
In an interview with the Stonewall Democratic Club of New York City, one of the influential LGBTQ political groups in the city, Wednesday night, Yang offended the members with his remarks.
“It was like he never met a gay person his life even though he kept reminding us people on his staff were gay,” filmmaker Harris Doran, who attended the endorsement meeting as a member, told NBC News on Thursday. “It was like tokenizing us.”
He added, “We’re involved, smart people and you can’t show up like you haven’t studied for the exam.”
The New York Times was the first to report this story.
By late Thursday night, the Yang campaign had not responded to a request for comment from NBC News.
This comes as the former presidential candidate enjoys high name recognition in the crowded race, and early polling suggests he has a slight edge in the Democratic primary field. Yang, who promised a monthly universal basic income of $1,000 as a presidential contender, announced his mayoral campaign in January.
Doran said Yang showed very little familiarity with the issues facing LGBTQ New Yorkers, such as jobs and homelessness, but talked about “going to a lesbian bar over and over.”
“He was talking to us like we were children or aliens,” Doran said.
Doran posted a partial recording of the meeting with Yang on Twitter on Thursday afternoon.
“I genuinely do love you and your community,” Yang said, according to a video recording of the remarks to the group, which was shared on Twitter by Doran but captured by another group member. “You’re so human and beautiful. You make New York City special. I have no idea how we ever lose to the Republicans given that you all are frankly in, like, leadership roles all over the Democratic Party.”
He added, “We have, like, this incredible secret weapon. It’s not even secret. It’s, like, we should win everything because we have you all.”
The group, however, ended up endorsing his opponent, city comptroller Scott Stringer. A recent poll found that 22 percent of likely Democratic voters favored Yang. Brooklyn Borough president Eric Adams is at No. 2 with 13 percent, followed by Stringer at 11 percent, and former counsel to Mayor Bill de Blasio, Maya Wiley in fourth at 7 percent.
This is not the only issue plaguing Yang’s campaign. On Wednesday, more than 400 Asian Americans in New York City had signed a petition and launched a website “Asian and Pacific Islander New Yorkers Against Andrew Yang” opposing his bid for mayor, arguing that “representation alone is simply not enough.”
The group cited his “pro-police” policies in the wake of calls for widespread reform and racial justice, his appearances on right-wing media and his Washington Post op-ed urging Asian Americans to show their “American-ness” amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
The group, which includes community leaders and local officials, also cited a report that Yang said that the nonprofit fellowship program he started, Venture for America, might not be the best fit for Black applicants.
“In 2022, New York City needs a leader who can truly grapple with the complex racial and economic injustices and the needs of Asian and Pacific Islander New Yorkers in the pandemic’s aftermath,” the petition said. “There are candidates more aligned with social and racial justice values, with deeper commitments to APIA and BIPOC communities, whose mayoralty would actually benefit our communities, and they are not getting the attention they deserve.”
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
