Out Dem. Robert Zimmerman wants to be a warrior for LGBTQ rights in Congress

When asked to confirm his age, Out Democrat Robert Zimmerman replied with an easy and emphatic laugh: “No.”

For the record, the out Long Island Democrat – who is running for an open seat to represent New York’s 3rd Congressional District – is 68. It’s not a young age to hold elective office for the very first time, let alone to fight off an unrepentant MAGA opponent, who, at 34, is exactly half Zimmerman’s age.

But the New York native, who graduated cum laude from Brandeis University and earned an MBA at Fordham, is a seasoned politico and strategist.

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He has served on Capitol Hill as a senior congressional aide and advisor to successive reps for his district, and also as the owner of a communications strategy firm he founded there in the late 1980s.

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Zimmerman is also an elected member of the Democratic National Committee, a former president of the American Jewish Congress on Long Island, and a longtime media advocate for candidates and causes, appearing regularly on all the major cable news networks, and on broadcast venues like The View.

“I’m the only Democrat running for Congress in New York who has been nationally denounced by Donald Trump,” said Zimmerman proudly. In 2016, “He called me ‘a disgusting Hillary flunky.'”

Zimmerman is up against Republican MAGA standard-bearer George Devolder-Santos, a Wall Street executive who’s earned the endorsements of far-right congressional Republicans like Marjorie Taylor Greene and Matt Gaetz.

This is a pivotal time in our nation's history. This election is a test between the mainstream values that define my life and the extremist values that define George Santos. I'll stand up for reproductive freedom, public safety, democracy, and building a stronger middle class. pic.twitter.com/DezplkZTxY

— Robert Zimmerman for Congress (@ZimmermanforNY) October 4, 2022

Devolder-Santos was at Donald Trump’s ellipse rally on January 6 and contributed to the insurrectionists’ defense fund. After losing in 2020 to NY3’s current rep by 13 points, Devolder-Santos claimed, to no effect, that the election was rigged.

The Republican is also gay, setting up the first race in U.S. congressional history to pit two out candidates against each other. In one way or another, the seat will be held in 2023 by a member of the LGBTQ community for the very first time.

“George Santos is gay,” said Zimmerman. “That’s where his commitment ends. He actually has publicly endorsed the Don’t Say Gay legislation that has been put forward in Florida and in 19 states. He actually uses words like ‘grooming’, and he chooses to embrace and stand with homophobes and bigots like Matt Gaetz and Marjorie Taylor Greene.”

.@Santos4Congress paid legal bills for the insurrectionists even after 5 brave police officers were killed and over a hundred were injured on Jan. 6th.

From supporting a national abortion ban to this new revelation, Santos is not only too extreme—he’s a danger to our democracy. pic.twitter.com/GLEvwvjnJQ

— Robert Zimmerman for Congress (@ZimmermanforNY) September 21, 2022

“Yes, I hope I have the privilege and honor of making that local history by being a first member of our community in Congress,” said Zimmerman.”The bigger point is making sure we have a member of Congress who’s going to stand up for our community. I’ll do that. George Santos repeatedly has shown quite the opposite, that he stands with the homophobic agenda.”

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Like many in his generation, coming out was an evolving proposition for Zimmerman.

“I grew up in the suburbs of Long Island in the 70s. That was a very isolating time to be gay. Jeez, I’ve never really talked about it much before, but I used to hang out at the diner on Friday night. I didn’t want to tip my parents I didn’t have a date, or a date for the school dance, or something like that,” Zimmerman remembers with a quiet laugh. “Sounds minor to say that, but I remember those times.”

Zimmerman recounted being counseled by a trusted former teacher that conversion therapy was an option for young men like him.

“I knew I wasn’t going to do that, but that was a mindset in those days and, of course, was very isolating, because you felt very unseen. You felt you were very much unheard in the crowd, if you will.”

On this #NationalComingOutDay, I’m reflecting on my own journey. Please know that wherever you are on yours, you are loved and supported. I will always work for a world where everyone feels safe and lives proudly and openly. ❤️