Approximately 100 people assembled at City Hall Park on Feb. 24 to denounce New York City Mayor Eric Adams for hiring three anti-LGBTQ pastors to serve in his administration, Gay City News reported.
More than a dozen speakers delivered messages to the mayor demanding that he immediately rescind the appointments of Fernando Cabrera, Erick Salgado and Gilford Monrose. Cabrera and Monrose were assigned to faith-based roles and Salgado was tapped to serve in the Office of Immigrant Affairs. All three of those appointees have documented anti-LGBTQ records.
On Feb. 21, the New York City Council's LGBTQ Caucus criticized Adams over his appointments, a separate Gay City News article reported.
"New York City went to the polls in November to elect a government among the most diverse in history," the LGBTQ Caucus wrote in a joint statement. "The people have spoken: inclusion, dignity, and justice are clear shared values. Unfortunately, a number of Mayor Adams' new appointments are steps in the opposite direction."
The mayor initially took heat after Politico reported that he planned to appoint Cabrera to lead the Mayor's Office of Community Mental Health; he will now lead the Office of Faith-Based and Community Partnerships after Adams said, "Cabrera has acknowledged the pain that his past comments have caused and has apologized for the words he used."
However, Cabrera's church, New Life Outreach International in the Bronx, continues to have a homophobic statement of faithand multiple speakers cast doubt on whether the appointees have actually changed their beliefs.