Thomas Duane
Encyclopedia
Thomas K. Duane is an American
politician from New York
, currently serving in the New York State Senate
. He was the nation's first openly HIV-positive person elected to office.
Duane is the only openly gay member of the New York State Senate. He represents the 29th Senate District, which stretches along Manhattan
's West Side
from 85th Street to Canal Street
, and includes the following neighborhoods: Upper West Side
, Hell's Kitchen
, Chelsea
, Greenwich Village
, and part of the East Side, including the East Village
, Stuyvesant Town
, Peter Cooper Village and Waterside Plaza
.
First elected to the Senate in 1998, he took office the following January and has won re-election every two years. He is the past Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, and he is currently that committee’s Ranking Minority Member.
His signature legislative accomplishments in the New York State legislature to date has been the passage of the Sexual Orientation Non-Discrimination Act (SONDA) (2002) and Timothy's Law, which requires mental health parity for patients by insurance companies (2006) which were subsequently signed into law by Governor George Pataki
.
He was also instrumental in the ultimate passage of the Hate Crimes Protection Act, which stipulates longer penalties for those convicted of alleged hate crimes, and mandates that New York State keep an active database
of these crimes and "Manny's Law," which requires hospitals to disclose to indigent patients the availability of state-sponsored funds for health care costs.
Prior to his election to the New York State Senate in 1998, Duane served on New York City Council
, to which he was first elected in 1991. He and Antonio Pagán
, first elected in the same year, were the first two openly gay city council members in New York. For part of that time, Christine Quinn worked as his chief-of-staff. When he resigned his council seat on being sworn in to the Senate, she successfully ran to succeed him.
In 1994, Duane ran for the U.S. House of Representatives against incumbent Jerrold Nadler
, who had been appointed as the Democratic nominee for Congress in 1992, following the death during the campaign of eight-term Congressman Ted Weiss. Duane lost the primary election by a margin of two-to-one.
Duane also served four terms as Male Democratic District Leader in the 64th Assembly District beginning in 1982. He has also served as a member of his local community board in the past.
Only the second openly LGBT member of the New York Legislature
, he is today one of six, alongside Assemblymembers Micah Kellner
, Daniel O'Donnell, Matthew Titone
, Harry Bronson
and Deborah Glick
.
Duane has been the lead sponsor of same-sex marriage legislation in the New York State Senate. Duane's comments during the December 2, 2009 New York State Senate floor debate regarding the same-sex marriage bill have been described as "a meandering 21-minute ramble that was the furthest thing from cogent." In February 2010, following the December 2009 Senate defeat of the same-sex marriage bill, Alan Van Capelle of the Empire State Pride Agenda
made the following public comments regarding Duane's work on the marriage bill: "We have a prime sponsor of the [marriage] legislation [Duane] who spends a whole lot of time talking about it and who spends no time trying to talk to his colleagues about how to" pass it. Van Capelle added, "People were less than impressed by his performance on the floor of the senate during the marriage vote and are concerned about his leadership on other issues." However, following the Senate vote, New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn issued a statement thanking Duane and the State Senate leadership for bringing the bill to a vote and "applaud[ing] them for their dogged leadership on this issue."
Duane holds a degree in American and Urban Studies from Lehigh University
. Born at the old French Hospital on West 30th Street in Manhattan, he was raised in Flushing, Queens, where he attended St. Andrew Avellino School and Holy Cross High School (Flushing)
. His brother, John F. Duane, served in the New York State Assembly in 1983-84 representing the 26th Assembly District in Queens. Duane's partner of 18 years is Louis Webre.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
politician from New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, currently serving in the New York State Senate
New York State Senate
The New York State Senate is one of two houses in the New York State Legislature and has members each elected to two-year terms. There are no limits on the number of terms one may serve...
. He was the nation's first openly HIV-positive person elected to office.
Duane is the only openly gay member of the New York State Senate. He represents the 29th Senate District, which stretches along Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
's West Side
West Side (Manhattan)
The West Side of Manhattan refers to the side of Manhattan Island which abuts the Hudson River and faces New Jersey. Fifth Avenue, Central Park, and lower Broadway separate it from the East Side. The major neighborhoods on the West Side are West Harlem, Morningside Heights, Manhattan Valley, Upper...
from 85th Street to Canal Street
Canal Street
Canal Street may refer to:* Canal Street , England, UK* Canal Street, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA* Canal Street , New York City, New York, USA...
, and includes the following neighborhoods: Upper West Side
Upper West Side
The Upper West Side is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan, New York City, that lies between Central Park and the Hudson River and between West 59th Street and West 125th Street...
, Hell's Kitchen
Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan
Hell's Kitchen, also known as Clinton and Midtown West, is a neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City between 34th Street and 59th Street, from 8th Avenue to the Hudson River....
, Chelsea
Chelsea, Manhattan
Chelsea is a neighborhood on the West Side of the borough of Manhattan in New York City. The district's boundaries are roughly 14th Street to the south, 30th Street to the north, the western boundary of the Ladies' Mile Historic District – which lies between the Avenue of the Americas and...
, Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village, , , , .in New York often simply called "the Village", is a largely residential neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. A large majority of the district is home to upper middle class families...
, and part of the East Side, including the East Village
East Village, Manhattan
The East Village is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, lying east of Greenwich Village, south of Gramercy and Stuyvesant Town, and north of the Lower East Side...
, Stuyvesant Town
Stuyvesant Town
Stuyvesant Town—Peter Cooper Village is a large private residential development on the East Side of the borough of Manhattan in New York City, and one of the most iconic and successful post-World War II private housing communities...
, Peter Cooper Village and Waterside Plaza
Waterside Plaza
Waterside Plaza, formerly a Mitchell-Lama Housing Program-funded rental apartment complex, is located on the East River in the Kips Bay section of Manhattan, New York City.- Overview :...
.
First elected to the Senate in 1998, he took office the following January and has won re-election every two years. He is the past Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, and he is currently that committee’s Ranking Minority Member.
His signature legislative accomplishments in the New York State legislature to date has been the passage of the Sexual Orientation Non-Discrimination Act (SONDA) (2002) and Timothy's Law, which requires mental health parity for patients by insurance companies (2006) which were subsequently signed into law by Governor George Pataki
George Pataki
George Elmer Pataki is an American politician who was the 53rd Governor of New York. A member of the Republican Party, Pataki served three consecutive four-year terms from January 1, 1995 until December 31, 2006.- Early life :...
.
He was also instrumental in the ultimate passage of the Hate Crimes Protection Act, which stipulates longer penalties for those convicted of alleged hate crimes, and mandates that New York State keep an active database
Active database
An Active Database is a database that includes an event driven architecture which can respond to conditions both inside and outside the database. Possible uses include security monitoring, alerting, statistics gathering and authorization.Most modern relational databases include active database...
of these crimes and "Manny's Law," which requires hospitals to disclose to indigent patients the availability of state-sponsored funds for health care costs.
Prior to his election to the New York State Senate in 1998, Duane served on New York City Council
New York City Council
The New York City Council is the lawmaking body of the City of New York. It has 51 members from 51 council districts throughout the five boroughs. The Council serves as a check against the mayor in a "strong" mayor-council government model. The council monitors performance of city agencies and...
, to which he was first elected in 1991. He and Antonio Pagán
Antonio Pagán
Antonio Pagán was an American politician, who held roles in the municipal government of New York City. He served on New York City Council for six years, and was subsequently appointed the city's commissioner of employment by mayor Rudy Giuliani in 1998.Pagán, a native of Manhattan who spent much...
, first elected in the same year, were the first two openly gay city council members in New York. For part of that time, Christine Quinn worked as his chief-of-staff. When he resigned his council seat on being sworn in to the Senate, she successfully ran to succeed him.
In 1994, Duane ran for the U.S. House of Representatives against incumbent Jerrold Nadler
Jerrold Nadler
Jerrold Lewis "Jerry" Nadler is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1992. He is a member of the Democratic Party.The district includes the west side of Manhattan from the Upper West Side down to Battery Park, including the site where the World Trade Center stood...
, who had been appointed as the Democratic nominee for Congress in 1992, following the death during the campaign of eight-term Congressman Ted Weiss. Duane lost the primary election by a margin of two-to-one.
Duane also served four terms as Male Democratic District Leader in the 64th Assembly District beginning in 1982. He has also served as a member of his local community board in the past.
Only the second openly LGBT member of the New York Legislature
New York Legislature
The New York State Legislature is the term often used to refer to the two houses that act as the state legislature of the U.S. state of New York. The New York Constitution does not designate an official term for the two houses together...
, he is today one of six, alongside Assemblymembers Micah Kellner
Micah Kellner
Micah Z. Kellner is an American politician from the state of New York. A Democrat, he serves as a member of the New York State Assembly from the 65th district, which includes Manhattan's Upper East Side and Roosevelt Island ....
, Daniel O'Donnell, Matthew Titone
Matthew Titone
Matthew J. Titone is an American politician and lawyer from Staten Island, New York. A Democrat, he serves as a member of the New York State Assembly from the 61st District, on Staten Island's North Shore.-Early life, education, career:...
, Harry Bronson
Harry Bronson
Harry B. Bronson is an attorney and politician from Rochester, New York who serves as a member of the New York State Assembly. A former member of the Monroe County legislature, he was elected to the Assembly in 2010...
and Deborah Glick
Deborah Glick
Deborah J. Glick is an American politician from New York and a Democratic member of the New York State Assembly representing the 66th Assembly District in lower Manhattan....
.
Duane has been the lead sponsor of same-sex marriage legislation in the New York State Senate. Duane's comments during the December 2, 2009 New York State Senate floor debate regarding the same-sex marriage bill have been described as "a meandering 21-minute ramble that was the furthest thing from cogent." In February 2010, following the December 2009 Senate defeat of the same-sex marriage bill, Alan Van Capelle of the Empire State Pride Agenda
Empire State Pride Agenda
The Empire State Pride Agenda is a statewide political advocacy organization in New York that advocates for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights, including same-sex marriage. ESPA was founded in 1990 through the merger of the New York State Gay and Lesbian Lobby and the Friends and...
made the following public comments regarding Duane's work on the marriage bill: "We have a prime sponsor of the [marriage] legislation [Duane] who spends a whole lot of time talking about it and who spends no time trying to talk to his colleagues about how to" pass it. Van Capelle added, "People were less than impressed by his performance on the floor of the senate during the marriage vote and are concerned about his leadership on other issues." However, following the Senate vote, New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn issued a statement thanking Duane and the State Senate leadership for bringing the bill to a vote and "applaud[ing] them for their dogged leadership on this issue."
Duane holds a degree in American and Urban Studies from Lehigh University
Lehigh University
Lehigh University is a private, co-educational university located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of the United States. It was established in 1865 by Asa Packer as a four-year technical school, but has grown to include studies in a wide variety of disciplines...
. Born at the old French Hospital on West 30th Street in Manhattan, he was raised in Flushing, Queens, where he attended St. Andrew Avellino School and Holy Cross High School (Flushing)
Holy Cross High School (Flushing)
Holy Cross High School is an all-boys Roman Catholic high school in Flushing, in the New York City borough of Queens. Founded in 1955, the school was chartered by the Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York and accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools...
. His brother, John F. Duane, served in the New York State Assembly in 1983-84 representing the 26th Assembly District in Queens. Duane's partner of 18 years is Louis Webre.
External links
- Campaign website
- New York State Senate: Thomas K. Duane
- Senator Duane’s Speech for Marriage Equality Act Video of NYS Senate speech, June 24, 2011
- POV-Georgie Girl. Transgender Discrimination and the Law Interview taped for PBS documentary.
- On Eve of Vote, Gay Rights Bill Is Besieged From Within
- Project Vote Smart: Interest Group Ratings
- Duane's response to the 2008 Candidate Questionnaire for State Senate from the 504 Democratic Club of New York City
- Tom Duane Stands Up & Is Not Afraid News article and video of NY Senate speech July 17, 2009