Gloria Steinem backs Christine Quinn for NYC mayor

Feminist icon Gloria Steinem formally endorsed New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn’s bid for mayor.

The backing comes after Steinem, who lives in Manhattan, had publicly threatened to withhold her support of Quinn over the speaker’s opposition to a bill that would require businesses to give paid sick time to its employees.

Two weeks ago, Quinn announced she had reached a compromise with labor unions on the issue and would soon bring the legislation to a vote of the City Council—even though Mayor Michael Bloomberg has threatened to veto it.

If elected, Quinn would not only be the city’s first female mayor, but also the city’s first openly gay mayor. Last year, she married her longtime partner, Kim Catullo.

"The Statue of Liberty need no longer be the only woman who symbolizes democracy in our great city. We have a real and practical chance of electing Christine Quinn, a strong and progressive New Yorker, as a mayor who will represent the majority,” Steinem said in a statement released by the Quinn campaign. “Christine Quinn’s record shows that she listens, she negotiates in good faith, she is skilled in the art of bridge building, and she has lived a life that allows her to understand the needs of most New Yorkers.”

The endorsement came just hours after former Congressman Anthony Weiner said he was considering jumping into the mayoral race.