Well that didn’t go as planned.
New York City Mayoral candidate and former presidential candidate Andrew Yang sought the Stonewall Democratic Club of New York’s endorsement Thursday night, and not only did he not get it, he wound up offending the group’s members.
Trying hard (like, really hard) to appeal to the LGBTQ Democratic group, Yang seemed more focused on proving he knows gay people and where they drink in NYC than he was discussing relevant policy.
“Well, first, let me say that if I go to Cubbyhole, I think I’m going to be accompanied by at least one of my two campaign managers who are both gay,” he said in the video discussion. “So there’s like a lot of, you know, familiarity with, with the community, at the head of my campaign leading it.”
“He came across like he was a tourist in New York and said he wanted to visit a gay bar,” the LGBTQ Democrats’ club president Rose Christ told Politico.
Some also took issue with the way the businessman kept repeating the phrase “your community.”
“I genuinely do love you and your community,” he said, according to a partial recording of the meeting reviewed by the New York Times. “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.”
“We have, like, this incredible secret weapon,” he continued. “It’s not even secret. It’s like, we should win everything because we have you all.”
“He kept calling us ‘Your community,’ like we were aliens,” club member Harris Doran told the paper.
“When I see a candidate come in just with [The Office’s] 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,” Alejandra Caraballo, who also attended the meeting, said. “Those are both radioactive flashing signs that say he is not prepared to be mayor of New York.”
Here’s what folx are saying about it on Twitter:
Oh man Andrew Yang at the Stonewall endorsement meeting was an inexperienced, ill informed joke who keep telling us his campaign manager was gay over and over and naming one gay bar over and over. If you are thinking of voting for him, I beg of you, god help us, don’t.
— Harris Doran ???? (@harrisdoran) April 22, 2021
“Hi my gay boys”-Andrew Yang
— Carey O'Donnell (@ecareyo) April 22, 2021
As I said before, Andrew Yang is NOT qualified to the Mayor of New York City.
— Chantay Berry ? (@iamchanteezy) April 23, 2021
I'm a gay dude who does more than go to gay bars and go shopping. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy those things immensely, but I'm not a character from Will & Grace and don't particularly enjoy being treated as one. https://t.co/lxgQwwjyPe
— Florida Chris (@chrislongview) April 22, 2021
Andrew Yang trying to get gay New Yorkers to vote for him pic.twitter.com/nnyDA9xPJQ
— Tani Berkowitz (@BonnieTerkowitz) April 22, 2021
Andrew Yang talking about the Gays: pic.twitter.com/rswiPYHCpJ
— Chris Gonzalez (@livesinpages) April 22, 2021
As a gay Asian I am begging Andrew Yang to stop talking https://t.co/qF2yjKelfP
— Dan Park ??? (@damnparka) April 23, 2021
Will continue never going to an indoor bar again if there is even the remote chance I will run into Andrew Yang at a gay bar.
— Soup and Stew Fan Account ? (@thirsty4snapple) April 22, 2021
When Andrew Yang thinks the gays are only interested in whatever happens at Pride and gay bars, his true colors really do show https://t.co/x2D58MiGwk
— Lauren McKenzie (@TheMcKenziest) April 23, 2021
Andrew Yang to his gays pic.twitter.com/lsobjyGP2c
— Connor Lounsbury (@ConnorLounsbury) April 23, 2021
Prax07
What’s wrong with him saying Your Community? People always refer to the black community or the hispanic community and no one has issues with it. I swear people will complain about every minute detail just for the sake of complaining.
SiamSean
I agree Prax. He was addressing the Stonewall group, which represents the gay community. At least this part of the gripe is off target.
Cam
At this meeting the discussions normally go beyond him talking about how he knows a gay person and mentioning a gay bar. He’s supposed to talk about issues of importance to the group which he seems to not have done.
Also, other politicians have had similar backlash from groups when they kept talking about them as a monolithic group. (See Ros Perot using “You People” to describe an audience of Black people)
Todd.Brooklyn
He was extremely awkward in his response. Basically using a “I have a friend who is ______, so I can’t possibly be – is really wha the your in this case came back to. This is not his first gaff in dealing with a group that is not of his own – he has done similar with women and black people – but I wouldn’t label him homophobic, I would say he is socially awkward and definitely not someone that should be at the helm of a city as diverse as NYC. It will be a term of nonsense and misunderstandings that will lead to not one damn thing accomplished.
James26
The political club had already decided to support another candidate. So they went through the motions of inviting Yang and then picked apart his every word to find reasons to fault him and embarrass him. Obviously, saying “your community” is not wrong or offensive, but that club is looking to help one of his rivals, so they will grasp at anything.
Den
Try reading the article “James” (and once again what the hell is a hetero right wing troll thinking they will accomplish here, especially one as clueless as you?). It states quite clearly that the group tried to get him to address issues of substance, but he continued to return to bars, parades, and gay folks on his staff.
As he proved over and over in his presidential attempt, he is not really fit to be any sort of politician.
Liquid Silver
I love your Cubbyhole and your glory holes and…
Well, if he’s that bad at branding, it doesn’t look like a likely win anyway.
Kangol2
He’s in first place. You should see the people he’s running against.
And the two major GOP opponents are laughably bad!
jcool
cubbyhole is a lesbian bar, so i’m sure there were no gloryholes
Liquid Silver
He’d want to get in good with both genders, yes?
Mister P
We have plenty of real enemies to focus on.
BerlinQueen
Agreed
AxelDC
The childish memes fit in with the childish criticisms.
They criticize Yang for not discussing the issues, while only focusing on his style instead of his substance.
Creamsicle
@AxelDC, 100% this.
Media covers Yang like a novelty act even though he has all the hallmarks of a successful leader and BIG, economy re-shaping ideas. The political establishment wants to focus on his style because his substance scares people.
Yang has a real plan to treat Big Data like the strategic resource that it is. Just like Alaskans get an Oil Exploration dividend, citizens deserve a Data dividend. Our browsing and user data has value and would not exist without us. We deserve a cut of that prosperity, and the tech industry is on board with it.
More importantly, Yang also wants to design a method to opt out of Big Data collection for those who do not want to participate. That currently does not exist for anyone who does not want to go through the added expense and effort to bank like it is 1819.
Fahd
He’s not a very good retail politician obviously. As an Asian-American politician who believes in universal guaranteed income, he could have a diverse, significant impact on NYC. However, if he can’t relate effectively to key democratic constituencies, he isn’t going far. Too bad, I think he could make a contribution. But where?
BerlinQueen
Who wants a retail politician anyway?
Fahd
Yes, but you have to be good enough at retail to get the vote. Otherwise, you can’t serve in an elected position.
bowlingbutch
Why shouldn’t he refer to our community just as he would refer to the Asian community as his community. At least he is wise enough to get people around him who would know about what to do. We need to worry about enemies like Caitlyn Jenner who just announced she is running for Governor of CA. She is using Trump people to help her and that just means hate! She did nothing but hurt the gay community and she probably calls it “your community: also.
AxelDC
I would never vote for a gay conservative because the gay doesn’t overcome the awfulness of the Right, especially if they support Trump.
BerlinQueen
Yes! Nailed it!
ryancmysho
@ AxelDC
I would never vote for a gay conservative because the gay doesn’t overcome the awfulness of the Right, especially if they support Trump.
You are so shallow. So dumb.
Den
Says the man with the extraordinarily shallow and dumb response (and that would be you Ryan).
Jenner, who the specific thread is discussing is an entitled clueless woman who would not be an asset to any community in California except the rich (perhaps, were she smart enough to get anything done).
And in fact, any philosophic Trump supporter (regardless of their personal orientation) is no friend to the overwhelming majority of LGBT people.
Dijonaise
If a gay person is so broken and self-hating that they ride with the new nazi party, well their best bet would be to eat lead. I mean really, just off yourself, you are worse than nothing, and don’t deserve to walk this earth, taking advantage of all the rights you have that others died for.
WSnyder
When a Str8 man, who has limited experience with and little exposure to the LGBTQ+ Community but does totally supports the community and will actively work with and advance LGBTQ+ causes, he simply has to SAY all that. Not try to ‘fit’ in, not ‘name drop’ people and places. Like many ‘groups’, we can spot ‘outsiders’ and those who are not part of our Community. And that’s OK. But if you want to get our support, don’t try to be the Faux Bestie and in doing so, handle it so BADLY.
All he did was insult our intelligence and embarrass himself. Never a good combo for a politician.
AxelDC
I’m not a Yang supporter, but this seems pretty petty criticism. I think Yang is a one note candidate who hasn’t proven himself ready for executive office, but at least he’s trying to reach out to gay voters. Being awkward is not an eliminating characteristic.
BerlinQueen
Agreed
ScottOnEarth
As always, so many people in this country (and the gay community) seek to be victims and see things through negative, toxic lenses. Nothing he said was wrong! He’s a straight man trying to understand a community he probably hasn’t been closely involved in. The fact is he is CLEARLY an ally and I appreciate that. Please focus on our real enemies like most Republicans, who have clearly crossed the line into unmitigated, bold-faced efforts to discriminate against us. Andrew Yang is a real progressive who seeks to represent ALL constituents and who promotes true equality.
Hdtex
Yang is a moron. Period.
RAR
Yes, he did wrong. He seemed unprepared for his “moment” and screwed up. I would think that when he reads the comments, he himself would agree with that. However, the guy seems very smart and logical in his interviews. Can we please give him a second chance? There are so many haters and enemies lurking about, but I honestly don’t believe that Andrew Yang is one of them. He made a mistake. I’m not approaching this as a Yang fan, but as someone who believes that he has a good heart and does care.
henare
He is simply unseasoned. He won’t win this primary (and that’s good), and ideally he’ll improve for next time (we know there will be a next time … you know, since he’s not yet an octogenarian).
Jake123
He’s miles ahead of everyone in the polls.
Den
His 22% of those polled is less than the 26% who are undecided and hardly “miles ahead of the 16% favoring the next most popular candidate.
graphicjack
So Queerty really, really doesn’t like Progressive politicians, huh? Keep pushing those neo-liberal corporate hacks like Mayo Pete and give alleged queer people like Kristen Synema a pass for being one of two Dem Senators who voted against a $15/hr min wage. How is saying ‘your community’ a scandal and blowing it? Can we please focus on PLATFORM issues instead of identity politics? This site is garbage, at least when it comes to covering politics. You do know that a lot of queers work under the minimum wage, right, and this it would greatly benefit OUR community to support progressive issues, as we don’t all have the mythical ‘pink dollar’ of two rich white dudes with property in Provincetown, NYC, SF and PV?
moretruth
That’s not who wants to derail Yang. It’s the far, far left fringe that has already attacked him. Just being a man pisses them off. And Asians are white to them, so he must be bad, too.
Kangol2
@moretruth, are you on something? “Asians are white to them”? HUH? You actually typed that racist crap in 2021, when Asian Americans and Asian immigrants are being singled out for harassment and attacks? Yang is not viewed as a White candidate, he’s an Asian American candidate who’s leading in the polls. There are people in the NY mayor primary to his left and right. There are candidates of nearly every race. Yang’s support crosses racial lines. If he doesn’t flub this, he could very likely become mayor because the two Republicans running against him include two characters who are unlike to get a majority of the vote. One helped bankroll horrible DeBlasio’s second victory!
moretruth
It’s not a coincidence that Yang was attacked by a far, far left extremist group earlier this week and then got this write up. Yang is definitely a gay friendly politician; however, unless he supports everything on their list, he is to be sacrificed. Their ultra left fringe candidate won’t win, but these activists will still be super pleased with themselves by destroying any pragmatism that doesn’t bow to their purity list.
Essie
Maybe Mr. Yang should have listened to his staff (especially the two “gay” ones he mentioned) before going in front of this particular group. Did they not look over his speech or did he not actually have a prepared speech? Whatever. He said “your community” and received the same reaction that Ross Perot received back when he said “you people” in front of a large group of Black people. It may not have offended some of the people on here but it offended a large number of gay people and Yang should be ashamed for being so tone deaf.
Hdtex
Winemaker, your tears make great lube. CRY HARDER!
FAP FAP FAP FAP FAP FAP FAP FAP FAP FAP FAP FAP FAP FAP FAP FAP FAP FAP FAP
winemaker
Just another pandering socialist idiot. So what else’s new? isn’t this the idiot who wanted to pay everyone something like $1000.00 per month without restriction? Yeah, right, when money grows on trees. Anybody who’d fall for this line of BS needs to go back to school and take some courses on basic reasoning and thinking. The basic tenet of economics: there’s nothing for free, someone has to pay for it and just like in the past, that’ll be the overburdened middle class who’re paying taxes through the nose and getting little to ZIPPO in return. Don’t believe this, take a look at California, it’s infrastructure is falling apart and the taxes keep going up and nothing ‘s done to fix these issues. I’d go on but what’s the point? These liberals are pretty much BULLS******S and real good at spending, or pissing tax dollars away on nonsense and BULLS**T as long as it’s your money and not theirs.
Liquid Silver
Strangely, I’ve told my nieces to ignore the person and the labels on the person speaking. Pay attention to what they’re saying. Pay attention to how that changes depending on who they’re talking to, because with a politician, it always does.
And pay attention to who’s going to have to pay for what they’re saying. Because it’s probably going to be you.
They just call me a “stupid old Boomer.” (I’m actually a middle-aged Millennial). Which is fine, I’ve started calling them completely gullible Gen Y and Z idiots. Theyll learn–too late.
Kangol2
@winemaker, you should open a dictionary. Yang is many things but he isn’t a “socialist” by any stretch. I think you live in or near SF and the Bay Area where there are quite a few real, diehard Socialists, Democratic Socialists, and Communists for that matter, so you should have a chat with some of them once in a while. You’ll see how far off you are.
Also, libertarians and people on the right have also called for universal basic income. People like Friedrich Hayek, the founder of the Austrian school (extremely right-wing); Milton Friedman, the architect of libertarian neoliberalism; Martin Feldstein (one of Reagan’s chief economists); Gregory Mankiw (a leading conservative economist); Henry Paulson (George W. Bush’s former Treasury Secretary and a leading Wall Street capitalist); and numerous others have called for universal basic income. In fact, you seem to be the one without any grasp of economics or how the system would work, so perhaps look it up before you expound on it in the future.
tjack47
What’s wrong with anything he said? Then guys go on Grindr and put No Asians in their profiles? Look in the mirror bitchy young queens.
Liquid Silver
That’s called “whataboutism” and it’s a logical error.
TMBisAOK
Obviously some of y’all never saw his campaign trail video shooting a can of whipped cream into the mouth of a guy on his knees in front of him. He knows “our community” like, maybe a lot more than y’all know. Lol
Kangol2
Yang’s comments were inelegant but he’s made a number of gaffes and they haven’t really hurt him. He is pro-LGBTQ and I think it’s more than surface deep. He’s not a great campaigner when he leaves his comfort zone. He’s got widespread name recognition, is popular across the city’s ethnic divides, benefits from the fact that other politicians (Stringer, Donovan, McGuire, Adams, etc.) are canceling each other out, and there is no serious Republican opposition. I’m not saying Yang is a shoe-in, but he would be more progressive and competent than the current Democratic mayor, who won twice in landslides, so he just has to make sure none of his flubs are that significant. The people to the left of him aren’t really gaining traction, and the ones to the right..well, Iike I said, they’re canceling each other out.
Manrico Jimenez
This reminds me of the time they asked Bill Richardson if being gay was a choice and he said “yes, it is a choice,” thinking what he had just said was something compassionate towards the gay community.
Jake123
I think he seems really cool. He’s miles ahead in the polls and all of his opponents are rubbish. His policies all seem pretty cool. I hope he wins.
DarkZephyr
I don’t see what’s so bad about “Your community”. As if only aliens have communities. What should he have said instead? We constantly refer to ourselves as the LGBTQ community.
Hdtex
Yang just wants to win an election. ANY election. Maybe he can run for dogcatcher when he loses this race.
mastik8
And yet, despite all that, he’s still the best choice.
BLAKENOW
you jack asses KNOCK IT OFF. DID YOU GET FIRED FROM HUFFPO WHEN ALL THAT METOO JUNK WAS FOUND OUT TO BE 75 PECENT FALSE? Yang is the best shot and making NYC a success after the worst mayor we have had since Guiliani . big friggin deal he messed up on a speech, like Biden, Obama never did? Have you seen the rest of the pathetic pack running? He will be a great Mayor and I am voting for him as well as volunteering , Knock it off with the cancel crap. everyone makes mistakes including the people that hired the write of this article
JessPH
Negative Nancys will whine about everything. So he does not speak as articulately and eloquently as Buttigieg or other Democrats. So what? I’m more interested with what he’ll do as mayor than what he says on stage. NYC has become the cesspool of crime it is right now because of DeBlasio.
Toofie
Yang would be fine for NYC. The attacks from this are hilarious. Had he referred to the gay community as “our” community they’d complain over that. Look where he stands and vote on that.