New York's record-breaking LGBTQ+ lawmakers are about to become a political force. Now they want a caucus

For Tony Simone, being gay in the New York State Legislature has occasionally carried a strange contradiction.He represents a district that includes Chelsea and Hell’s Kitchen, neighborhoods inseparable from generations of LGBTQ+ life in New York City. He serves in one of the most Democratic legislatures in the country. And yet, Simone said, being one of relatively few openly LGBTQ+ lawmakers in Albany can still feel solitary.“It can be isolating and lonely in Albany,” the Democratic assemblymember told The Advocate.That may be about to change dramatically.Seven out LGBTQ+ lawmakers currently serve in New York’s 213-member Legislature. Sens. Jabari Brisport, and Erik Bottcher serve in the Senate, while Assemblymembers Deborah Glick, Simone, Harry Bronson, Jessica González-Rojas, and Diana Moreno sit in the Assembly. Bottcher and Moreno joined the Legislature after winning special elections earlier this year; Moreno took office on February 4. Glick, the first out LGBTQ+ person elected to the New York Legislature, is retiring after more than three decades in office.Then came the June Democratic primaries.González-Rojas, who already serves in the Assembly, won the Democratic nomination for a state Senate seat. Five other LGBTQ+ candidates — Brian Romero, David Orkin, Christian Celeste Tate, Illapa Sairitupac and David Siffert — won Democratic Assembly primaries. Siffert’s race was not settled until a manual recount gave them a 15-vote victory. They would become New York’s first out nonbinary state legislator. Brian Romero speaks to supporters in New York City.Corey TorpieThey have not yet been elected to those new offices. The general election is on November 3. But they are running in heavily Democratic territory — Romero, for example, has no Republican opponent — making most of their victories in November highly likely. If the expected results hold, the legislature that convenes in January would include 11 LGBTQ+ members: three senators and eight