NYC NOW - June 25, 2024: Midday News

Episode Date: June 25, 2024

Nassau County lawmakers approved a measure on Monday upholding a local ban on trans athletes participating in girls' and women's sports leagues. County Executive Bruce Blakeman says this will likely end up in court. Meanwhile, New York City is giving away 10,000 tickets for the Fourth of July Macy's fireworks show on a first-come, first-serve basis. Plus, this Tuesday is Primary Day. Registered Democrats and Republicans can cast ballots for U.S. Congress, the state legislature, and judges. WNYC’s Janae Pierre speaks with senior politics reporter Brigid Bergin with some last-minute tips before you head to the polls. Finally, as part of Pride Month, WNYC is highlighting LGBTQ+ voices in New York City. Meet Danielle Eunice Young.

Welcome to NYC Now. Your source for local news in and around New York City from WMYC. It's Tuesday, June 25th. Here's the midday news from Lance Lucky. Nassau County lawmakers approved a measure upholding a local ban on trans athletes participating in girls and women's sports leagues. Yesterday's vote comes after a Nassau Supreme Court judge struck down an executive order that sought to achieve the same means.

County Executive Bruce Blakeman signed the initial ban earlier this year and says the legislature's bill will also likely go to court. There probably will be a challenge, and we look forward to litigating that. We believe we're on the right side of the issue. Earlier this year, the New York Civil Liberties Union sued to block Blakeman's executive order. The 4th of July is just around the corner,

and New York City is giving away 10,000 free tickets for front row seats of Macy's. Firework Show. Mayor Adams' office says tickets will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis, and will grant holders access to Hudson River Park's Pier 45 in Greenwich Village or Pier 84 in Hell's Kitchen. Tickets go live tomorrow morning at 10 o'clock at NYCJuly4.com. That's NYCJuly4.com. They're limited to two per person and bags will be subject to search for those who aren't able to snag a ticket. The fireworks show will be visible all along the West Side Highway. this year. WNYC.

Stay close. There's more after the break. On WMYC, I'm Jinnay Pierre. Today is primary day. Registered Democrats and Republicans can cast ballots for U.S. Congress, the state legislature, and judges. Joining me now is WNYC's senior politics reporter Bridget Bergen with some last-minute tips before you head to the polls. So the polls are open as we speak. What should voters do before they hit to the polls today? So for New York voters, it's always a really good idea to check your poll site information before you go out to the polls. The New York City Board of Elections has a great

site that will also let you take a look at your sample ballot. So you actually know who you're going to be voting for when you get there. So you can go to vote.n. NYC to find that poll site finder. Keep in mind, this is a primary. You need to be registered in a party that is holding a primary to vote today, so that largely means Democrats here in the city. But there is one Republican primary for an assembly seat in Queens, and there are no primaries in Staten Island. So before you go, check that poll site. Make sure you actually have races to vote in before you head to the polls. And keep in mind that polls are open until 9 p.m.

What if you have a problem at the polls? How do you ask questions, you know, or report complaints? So it's always good to check in with any poll workers who are at your poll site. If you have a broader question for the New York City Board of Elections, they're actually very responsive on social media on election days. So specifically on X, formerly known as Twitter. But if you're experiencing any issue that you think violates your rights or might be considered voter intimidation,

you can report that to the New York Attorney General's office. There's a hotline and an online form. Also for voters in Queens, the Justice Department is actually out there. They put out a notice yesterday that they're going to be monitoring poll sites to ensure compliance with federal voting laws. And voters who are in Queens, Brooklyn, and NASA, as well as Suffolk counties, can report any concerns that they have to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District. We have the information for those numbers going up on our website today, gothamist.com.

So if you need them, you can find them there. And if there's just something you think needs more reporting, you can reach out to us here at WNYC and Gothamist. You can tweet right at me at Bridget Bergen. You know, Bridget, primary seem to draw fewer voters, right? I'm wondering, how's turnout looking so far? Yeah, so statewide, just over 100,000 voters have cast ballots during the nine days of early voting. That's according to data from state elections officials. Now, interestingly, Jene, the county with the highest turnout is Westchester, which makes up a large

portion of that very competitive 16th congressional district, right? So that's that marquee matchup between Congressman Jamal Bowman and Westchester County Executive, George Latimer. So about 20% of all the votes statewide are from Westchester. Now, if you add in the early voting numbers from the Bronx, that brings the tally to just under 30,000 votes for Westchester and Bronx combined, keep in mind, the district is only a very small piece of the Bronx in southern Westchester. So the numbers for that district are going to be lower. But in terms of enthusiasm, it's interesting to see how much higher the numbers are there compared to other parts of the state. Let's talk about that part of the region a bit more. What's your recap on that Bowman-Ladamer

primary? Yeah, so this is the race that everyone has been watching. It's one where the candidates positioned Israel's war with Hamas and Gaza emerged really early as a key issue in the race with Bowman calling Israel's actions tantamount to genocide and Latimer voicing really staunched support for the Jewish state. But this matchup has also featured record ad spending, some really notable support from high-profile surrogates. Just this past weekend, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders were out there rallying for Bowman. Former presidential candidate secretary of state and New York Senator Hillary Clinton has voiced her support for Latimer. What I would really encourage our listeners to do is check out all the great coverage from our colleague, Michelle Bocanegra, because this is definitely a race to watch and she's got some great stories to prime you for it. And quickly, Bridget, what other races are on your radar tonight?

So there's a boroughwide race in Queens for surrogate court judge. Really interesting to watch. A handful of legislative races where incumbents face real stiff challengers. So we're going to keep an eye on all of those races and we'll bring you results tomorrow. That's WMYC's Bridget Bergen. Bridget, thanks so much for your time and happy primary day. Thank you. WMYC is marking Pride Month by highlighting the voices of LGBTQ New Yorkers.

Our Community Partnerships Desk recently spent some time at the Brooklyn Community Pride Center in Crown Heights to have conversations with people about what it means to navigate today's world as LGBTQ plus individuals and the significance of finding community. My name is Danielle Eunice Young. I'm 24 years old. I use she-her-her's pronouns, and I identify as a black intersex woman. In my senior year of college,

I realized I was intersex in my dorm room, and I cried a lot about it. I like to actually attribute my intersexuality to, like, mutants on X-Men and stuff like that, because some mutants. in certain issues, they get captured and they get experimented on what makes you special, why are your genes like that? And to me, it kind of mirrors the surgeries that intersex kids get at birth to make them

quote unquote normal. I oftentimes just say that I'm trans because that's more socially acceptable to talk about, even within my own community. It can be hard to talk about more nuanced identities under the trans umbrella, like being intersex because it's not something that's widely accepted. I guess more things can be said to advocate for intersex people, especially intersex children, because, imagine how great and beautiful it would be

if I was just untouched and I could have figured it out naturally. I used to wish it could be different, but I just love how it is now and I've owned up to it completely. I actually love this vessel. If I get reincarnated, I might be sad. I used to want to say, when I reincarnate, I just want to be a cis woman this time, yeah? But, like, I would miss this vessel

because being Danielle has been one of the most amazing things. I love how, like, I am tenacious, and I always just keep getting up and going forward. Even when I fail, even when I lag behind, I used to always say, I always win. That's what they used to say. It was like, oh, she always wins. Danielle Eunice Young lives in New York City.

Thanks for listening. This is NYC now from WNYC. Check us out for updates every weekday, three times a date, for the latest news headlines and occasional deep dives. And subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. We'll be back this evening.