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August 15, 2006

Lesbian New York lawmaker rankles gay constituency

Lesbian New York lawmaker rankles gay constituency

New York City council speaker Christine C. Quinn, the city's most visible gay official, has come under fire from her gay constituency after she proposed last week that the city's 250 nightclubs be required to install security cameras at their entrances and exits, The New York Times reports. Several gay leaders have said the cameras would be an invasion of privacy and pose a particular threat to those who are not open about being gay.

''It smacks of Big Brother,'' William K. Dobbs, a longtime gay activist, told the Times, adding that the cameras could keep some people away from the clubs. ''It will have an impact on everybody who enjoys New York nightlife.''

While the details of the proposal have yet to be worked out, it would apply to nightclubs that operate with city-issued cabaret licenses that allow dancing. If the nightclub owners refused to comply, their licenses could be suspended or revoked.

Recent crimes in and around nightclubs, including the separate murders of two young women, have officials in the city calling for action. Quinn contends that the owners should install the security cameras to protect their patrons. Quinn, who also wants to require nightclubs to install identification-checking machines to curb underage drinking, plans to convene a nightlife conference next month for club owners and city agencies to discuss other ways to improve club safety.

The backlash over security cameras illustrates the political pitfalls facing Quinn, who was elected speaker in January. Allen Roskoff, president of the Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club, a citywide political organization formed by gay activists in 2004, told the Times that Quinn is now in the position of ''having to please a more diverse constituency than the progressive constituency that elected her.'' (The Advocate)

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