Being out and about in Jersey City, there’s no shortage of queer people living here. Whether it’s the twink at the PATH station, the bisexual girl dancing at a brunch drag show or the myriad other queer identities just across the river from Manhattan, you can find your people. In his first few months on the job, Mayor James Solomon revived the city’s LGBTQ+ task force, and the work is already underway.
In late June, many members of the group and others from the local LGBTQ+ community turned out on a Thursday afternoon to give the city’s Pride crosswalk outside City Hall a fresh coat of paint. [It would’ve happened earlier and closer to the beginning of Pride Month, but the weather didn’t cooperate.] People decked out in cute summer clothes, many adorned in rainbows, whether on their clothes or painted on their faces, rolled up their sleeves [if they had them; it was hot that day], picked up a paint brush and got to work.
“We’re gonna be working on some new policy,” said Jersey City Police Department Det. Ileana Anton, an out and proud lesbian who was there. Before her promotion to detective, she had served as the department’s community relations officer, so representing the community isn’t new to her. “We’re just looking to be there as a voice and advocate to help bridge the gap between the police and the community. … If we can just be a safe space for people, that’s what we’re here to do.”
This new iteration of the task force is different from the last one. Chair Laura Bustamante, who’s also the mayor’s chief of staff, said it was “more of an employee resource hub,” so the only members were people who worked in City Hall. Now, city employees and members of the community are working together to advocate for the LGBTQ+ people who live in Jersey City. “We’re going to be sitting with our community members on the task force to go through an agenda that is based on equity, that really focuses on affordability, access to housing, healthcare, economic mobility for LGBTQ business owners, and we want them to really help shape that agenda.”
When asked more about the resources they’re looking to provide, she pointed to the Jersey City Economic Development Corp. “I think that’s a really great arm that can do a lot to help small business owners access grants; they can access resources. There’s also a new law that was passed in the state of New Jersey that certifies LGBTQ businesses as minority-owned businesses that really unlocks their ability to be able to access different grant money. … It’s the only state in the country that actually has that certification process in place, and I think that we can do a lot of education.”
She also weighed in on why the mayor wanted to restart the group. “One of the things he loves about Jersey City is this diversity of the city, and this is just one core community that makes Jersey City just so beautiful, so diverse, so vibrant,” Bustamante said. She’s the first openly queer chief of staff in the Jersey City Mayor’s Office, as well as the first woman and the first Latina. “He has really shown that the person who can lead the city alongside him needs to be somebody that’s diverse and can speak to and understand the communities he’s seeking to represent.”
One of those proud folks with rainbows on both cheeks was Esteban Rodríguez, who works in the city prosecutor’s office. “I think we’re really geared towards how we can, as a city government, provide resources and opportunities for people in our community and kind of bridge that gap because historically, there hasn’t been that bridge between the government and the LGBTQ community. … I think it’s imperative that we reinforce these bridges and make sure that they are well maintained and [there’s] easy access for both to engage with each other.”
Janine “J9” Nicole, the general manager at JC Fit, was lucky enough to become one of the co-chairs. She said it was a competitive process, with more than 260 applicants. “To hear all the interest, that means that there’s some voices out there that want to be loud, and we want to make sure that we make them louder.”
The launch for Pride was a party atmosphere for sure. There was a tent with complimentary water, music blasting Madonna and Charli XCX [They knew their audience] and, of course, Jersey City’s iconic drag queen, Harmonica Sunbeam, decked out in a rainbow-colored wig. Families turned out, allies turned out, there was even an appearance from state Assemblywoman Katie Brennan, a longtime Jersey City resident.
But for many people there, touching up the Pride crosswalk is a symbol that shows LGBTQ+ people are welcome in Jersey City. “It’s literally sending a message as you walk past that this city is safe, affirming, supportive of all identities and that individuals should be proud of who they are and the city is proud of them,” said Elizabeth Schedl, executive director of the Hudson Pride Center, who’s also on the task force. “I think the most beautiful part of a crosswalk painting is the young person who hasn’t fully come out yet getting to walk past this and understand that there’s other people like them and that there’s other people proud of who they are and that they should feel safe in this city and this county, and that’s what I admire most about it.”
At one point, J9 took the mic to address all the volunteers who were painting away. “This flag right here is such a huge statement. It’s a statement to everyone that comes through here saying that every LGBTQ+ person, every advocate, every ally, every queer, young person that is still trying to figure themself out, they see this flag, and they know that they are welcome here, and that Jersey City sees them.”
jerseycitynj.gov/MayorSolomon/mayorslgbtqtaskforce
