News
Campaign finance complaint filed against Christine Quinn
NYC mayoral candidate challenged over Victory Fund travel reimbursements
Christine Quinn (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
A Brooklyn attorney has filed a complaint against New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn over travel reimbursements she accepted from an LGBT political action committee while raising funds for her mayoral campaign.
The Wall Street Journal on Thursday reported that Garfield Heslop filed a complaint with the New York City Campaign Finance Board on June 24 asking it to investigate Quinn over more than $20,000 in contributions her campaign received from donors in Houston, San Diego and Chicago after she attended Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund events in the three cities in 2011 and 2012.
The newspaper reported last month the Victory Fund paid Quinn to travel to the three cities to attend their fundraisers.
Quinn, who hopes to become New York City’s first gay and female mayor, spoke at the Victory Fund’s annual National Champagne Brunch in D.C. in April alongside U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and Pennsylvania state Rep. Brian Sims.
Heslop did not immediately return the Washington Blade’s request for comment, but the Wall Street Journal reported that he wrote in his complaint that Quinn “may have broken both the letter and the spirit of New York City campaign finance laws” when she “participated in fundraisers for both the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund and her own mayoral campaign.”
The New York City Conflicts of Interest Board opined on May 5, 2011; Nov. 21, 2011 and Oct. 18, 2012 that the Victory Fund could reimburse Quinn for travel costs to their events because she attended them in her official capacity as an openly gay government official.
The Victory Fund declined comment.
Quinn spokesperson Mike Morey defended the campaign’s actions.
“We work diligently to report any and all costs related to fundraising for the campaign,” he told the Blade. “We continue to review any expenses related to fundraising for the campaign to ensure full compliance of reporting requirements.”
New York City campaign finance records indicate the Victory Fund has contributed $165,078 to Quinn’s mayoral bid as of May 15.
Edith Windsor, the Manhattan widow who successfully challenged the Defense of Marriage Act before the U.S. Supreme Court, is among the prominent LGBT New Yorkers who have endorsed Quinn to succeed Mayor Michael Bloomberg in Gracie Mansion. Long-time LGBT rights advocate Allen Roskoff, who co-founded the Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club, are among Quinn’s most vocal opponents.
“Anyone seeking the highest office in New York City government should avoid even the appearance of the possibility of conflict of interests,” Pauline Park, a Queens, N.Y.,-based transgender activist who frequently criticizes Quinn, told the Blade. “Christine Quinn failed to adhere to that standard when she accepted expense reimbursement from the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund for fundraising trips that clearly benefitted her own mayoral campaign as well.”
Quinn’s campaign has raised $7,174,177 and spent $1,342,502 as of the same date. Former Congressman Anthony Weiner, who declared his candidacy in May, reported $5,139,175 — which includes $4.5 million left over from his 2009 mayoral bid — in his campaign account and spent $869,109 as of May 15.
Republican Joe Lhota, who is the former chair of New York City’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority, reported his campaign had raised $1,283,793 and spent $449,089 as of May 15.
The Wall Street Journal/NBC New York/Marist Poll released on June 26 shows Weiner leads Quinn among registered New York City Democrats by a 25-20 percent margin. A Quinnipiac University survey released on the same day found Quinn ahead of Weiner by a 19-17 percent margin.
Former New York City Comptroller William Thompson came in third among Democratic voters in the five boroughs with 16 percent.
The New York City primary will take place on September 10.
Federal Government
Markwayne Mullin confirmed as next DHS secretary
Okla. senator to succeed Kristi Noem
The U.S. Senate confirmed Markwayne Mullin as the next secretary of Homeland Security on Monday, as the agency continues to grapple with what lawmakers have described as a “never-ending” funding standoff, with Democrats attempting to withhold funding from one of the nation’s largest and most costly agencies.
Mullin — a Republican senator from Oklahoma, former mixed martial arts fighter, and plumbing business owner — was confirmed in a 54–45 vote. Two Democrats — U.S. Sens. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) — sided with Republicans in supporting his confirmation.
The new agency head is expected to follow the policy direction set by President Donald Trump, emphasizing stricter immigration enforcement. This includes proposals to support immigration agents at polling sites and to cut funding to so-called “sanctuary cities.”
Mullin replaces Kristi Noem, who was fired earlier this month following a widely scrutinized 2-day congressional hearing on Capitol Hill.
During the hearing, Noem faced intense questioning over her response to several crises, including the fatal shooting of two American citizens in Minneapolis by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, a $220 million border security advertising campaign that featured her on horseback near Mount Rushmore amid one of the largest federal workforce reductions in U.S. history, and the federal response to major natural disasters such as the July 2025 Texas floods and Hurricane Helene in 2024.
Noem had previously drawn criticism for a series of policy decisions in South Dakota that broadly focused on restricting the rights of LGBTQ individuals. In 2023, she signed House Bill 1080, banning gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors. She also signed legislation and executive orders restricting trans athletes’ participation in women’s sports, as well as the state’s “Religious Freedom Restoration Act,” which critics argued enabled discrimination against LGBTQ individuals. Additionally, the state canceled contracts related to LGBTQ support services — including suicide prevention and health care navigation programs‚ and later agreed to a $300,000 settlement with trans advocacy group, The Transformation Project.
Despite her removal from DHS, Noem will remain in the Trump-Vance administration as a special envoy for the “Shield of the Americas,” an initiative aimed at promoting U.S. influence in the Western Hemisphere, including efforts to counter cartel networks, reduce Chinese influence, and manage migration.
The new head of DHS has served in Congress since 2013, in both houses of the federal legislature. While in the Senate and a member of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, Mullin has been a vocal critic of policies aimed at expanding LGBTQ inclusion. He led a group of lawmakers in urging the Administration for Community Living to reverse a rule requiring states to prioritize Older Americans Act services based on sexual orientation and gender identity, arguing the policy could have unintended consequences.
Mullin also makes history as the first Native American — and a citizen of the Cherokee Nation — to lead the Department of Homeland Security. He was also among the 147 Republicans who voted to overturn the 2020 presidential election results despite no evidence of widespread fraud, and was present in the U.S. House of Representatives chamber on Jan. 6.
A gay man was murdered in Petersburg, Va., on March 13.
Shyyell Diamond Sanchez-McCray, who was also known as Saamel and Mable, was a drag queen who won the Miss Mayflower EOY pageant in 2015. Reports also indicate Sanchez-McCray, 42, was a well-known community activist in Virginia and in North Carolina.
Local media reports indicate police officers found Sanchez-McCray shot to death inside a home in Petersburg.
Sanchez-McCray’s brother, Jamal Mitchell Diamond, in a public statement the Washington Blade received from Equality Virginia and GLAAD, said Sanchez-McCray was not transgender as initial reports indicated.
“Our family has always embraced the fullness of who he was. He used the names Saamel, Shyyell, and Mable interchangeably, and we honor all of them. There is no division within our family regarding how he is being represented — only a shared commitment to preserving his truth with love and respect,” said Diamond.
“He was also deeply committed to community work through Nationz Foundation, where he worked and completed multiple state-certified programs to support marginalized communities,” added Diamond. “That work meant a great deal to him.”
Authorities have not made any arrests.
The Petersburg Bureau of Police has asked anyone with information about Sanchez-McCray’s murder to call Petersburg-Dinwiddie Crime Solvers at 804-861-1212.
District of Columbia
Trans Day of Visibility events planned
Rally on the National Mall scheduled for Saturday
The Christopher Street Project has a number of events planned for the 2026 Trans Day of Visibility, including a rally on the Mall and an “Empowerment Ball” at the Eaton Hotel. Plenaries, panel discussions and meetings with members of Congress are scheduled in the three days of programming.
Announced speakers include N.H. state Rep. Alice Wade; Commissioner of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago Precious Brady-Davis; activist and performer Miss Peppermint (“RuPaul’s Drag Race”); Lexington, Ky. Councilwoman Emma Curtis; Rabbi Abby Stein; D.C. activist and host Rayceen Pendarvis; Air Force Master Sgt. Logan Ireland; among other leaders, advocates and performers.
Conference programming on Thursday and Friday includes an educational forum and a Capitol Hill policy education day. Registration for the two-day conference has closed.
The “Trans Day of Visibility PAC Reception” is scheduled for Thursday, March 26 from 7:30-9 p.m. at As You Are (500 8th St., S.E.). Special guests include Rep. Dina Titus (D-Nevada) and Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.). Tickets are available at christopherstreetproject.org starting at $25.
The National Council of Jewish Women and the Christopher Street Project host a “Trans Day of Visibility Shabbat” on Friday, March 27 from 7-8 p.m. at Sixth & I (600 I St., N.W.). The service is to be led by Rabbi Jenna Shaw and Rabbi Abby Stein.
The “Now You See Me: Trans Empowerment Social & Ball” is scheduled for Friday, March 27 from 6-11 p.m. at the Eaton Hotel (1201 K. St., N.W.). The trans-themed drag ball is hosted by the Marsha P. Johnson Institute with support from the D.C. Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ+ Affairs, the Capital Ballroom Council, the Christopher Street Project, the Center for Black Equity, Generation for Common Good, and Parenting is Political. RSVP online at christopherstreetproject.org.
The National Transgender Day of Visibility Rally is scheduled for Saturday, March 28 on the National Mall at 11 a.m. The rally will include speakers and performances. Following the rally, attendees are encouraged to participate in the “No Kings” rally being held at Anacostia Park.
Markwayne Mullin confirmed as next DHS secretary
Gay man murdered in Va.
Trans Day of Visibility events planned
Virginia General Assembly’s 2026 legislative session ends
