UWS Lawyer Vies To Fill LGBTQ Void On City Council In 2021

UPPER WEST SIDE, MANHATTAN — A longtime resident, lawyer and activist has thrown his hat in the ring to become the Upper West Side's next City Council member and maybe the only lawmaker in the legislative body representing the queer community.

Democrat Seth Rosen, who has lived on the Upper West Side with his husband for 20 years, announced his candidacy this week for the council's 6th District, a seat which will be left open when current City Council Member Helen Rosenthal's term limits are up in 2021.

The 45-year-old attorney said a big part of deciding to jump into the race came when he discovered all the City Council's LGBTQ members would be leaving in 2021 when, like Rosenthal, their term limits are up.

Those five members' departures could leave the city's legislative body without an essential voice from the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and gender non-conforming community, Rosen said.

"If you're not at the table, then that voice is just not heard," Rosen told Patch. "In a city like New York that has such a large LGBTQ+ presence, to not have a queer voice would be huge loss."

And Rosen is no stranger to holding that seat at the table for LGBTQ people.

The father of two is currently the director of development with the National LGBT Bar Association and has held leadership positions with Planned Parenthood Federation of America, the world’s first HIV and AIDS service organization, and Gay Men’s Health Crisis.

He started his career as an attorney with the city's Law Department working on federal civil rights cases and has also worked for Amnesty International USA.

LGBTQ issues are one of the main tenants of his campaign, Rosen said, including bringing more HIV AIDS testing to the Upper West Side and working for the expansion of access to PrEP, the medication to prevent the virus.

He also hopes to help the neighborhood's older LGBTQ residents find the services they need and, for that matter, all aging residents on the Upper West Side.

"The Upper West Side is an aging district," Rosen said. "It's so important that we work on aging-in-place services so elderly in our district don't have to leave."

Part of that includes a commitment to affordable housing, Rosen said. He believes any new building developed on the Upper West Side should include a portion of affordable housing units.

"Being a resident of the Upper West Side for 20 years gives me a unique perspective," Rosen said. "I've seen a lot of change — it's important to preserve District 6 as a community for everyone."

Rosen joins Community Board 7 co-secretary Sara Lind in the race for District 6.