Lillian Bonsignore – Official Portrait – Fire Department of the City of New York.
Right-wing commentators and influencers are raging over New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s selection of Lillian Bonsignore, an out lesbian, as the next commissioner of the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY).
The 56-year-old Bonsignore will become only the second woman in the department’s history to lead the FDNY once Mamdani takes office in January. Her appointment has been endorsed by three unions representing New York City firefighters, FDNY officers, and medics.
In typical fashion, conservative scolds have asserted that Bonsignore’s appointment is a form of DEI — diversity, equity, and inclusion — hiring, citing it as an example of how left-wing politicians allegedly prioritize personal identity over merit.
“People will die because of this,” Elon Musk, the billionaire founder of Tesla and SpaceX, wrote on X, which he owns. “Proven experience matters when lives are at stake.”
Musk’s post echoed broader criticisms leveled against Bonsignore by opponents of Mamdani, a self-described democratic socialist and Muslim lawmaker from Queens whose identity has been exploited by conservatives to stoke fear among New Yorkers — particularly within the city’s Jewish community — and fuel anti-Muslim conspiracy theories..
Chief among the criticisms of Bonsignore’s appointment is that she should not be named FDNY commissioner because she has never served as a firefighter. Many social conservatives also object to her becoming the first openly gay commissioner, citing moral opposition to homosexuality or claiming she was selected solely because of her sexual orientation.
“A great idea…unless there’s a fire,” wrote U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas).
“Zohran Mamdani appointed Lillian Bonsignore as new FDNY Commissioner. Only problem is…she’s never been a firefighter. Word of advice, you can’t put out fires with rainbow flags,” Breanna Morello, a conservative Infowars talk-show host, wrote on X.
“The new FDNY Chief doesn’t know anything about firefighting but is an expert in pronouns and pointing out perceived homophobia,” former Minnesota State Sen. Sean Nienow posted. “What could possibly go wrong there?”
However, Bonsignore also had several prominent figures come to her defense.
“The last two FDNY fire commissioners appointed by [New York City Mayor] Eric Adams had [zero] actual FDNY operational experience,” retired NYPD Lt. John Macari, a co-host of the New York’s Finest: Retired & Unfiltered Podcast, wrote on X.
“Lillian Bonsignore has 30 years of FDNY EMS experience,” he added. “The overwhelming majority of calls handled by firefighters are EMS runs.”
Mamdani has praised Bonsignore for her resume, which includes serving as chief of the EMS Academy at Fort Totten beginning in 2016 and later as chief of EMS Operations from 2019 to 2020, according to New York ABC affiliate WABC.
“Bonsignore’s calm, decisive leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic — when EMS professionals were more vital than ever — is exactly the kind of leadership our city needs in moments of uncertainty,” Mamdani said in a statement to City and State New York.
“I know what EMS needs. I have been EMS for 30-plus years,” Bonsignore said at the press event where Mamdani announced her appointment. “And now you have a commissioner that could start an IV.”
The placid romantic drama Sauna, from director Mathias Broe, confronts provocative subject matter with admirable sensitivity and restraint. Based on the novel by Mads Ananda Lodahl, published in 2021, the film, figuratively speaking, never raises its voice telling the story of Johan (Magnus Juhl Andersen) and William (Nina Rask), a cis gay man and trans man, respectively, whose budding romance faces distinct challenges, even within the queer community.
First, the film winds through a concise, if not that creative setup depicting Johan's lonely life. A small town single gay relatively new to Copenhagen, he's sociable and outgoing, and so far unfulfilled by the cold, hard sex sessions with random guys he meets at bars.
Netflix's Stranger Things is facing backlash from viewers after writers devoted the show's penultimate episode to a storyline in which Will Byers, played by Noah Schnapp, comes out as gay.
In part because of the negative reaction to the coming-out storyline -- which appears in the third of three episodes released on Christmas -- Season 5 is now the show's lowest-rated season, earning a 56% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
The episode itself, "The Bridge," is the lowest-rated of the entire series on IMDb, with a 5.4 score. All other episodes in Season 5 are rated 8.0 or higher.
In a political shakeup, former U.S. Rep. Colin Allred (D-Texas), the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in 2024, has exited the 2026 Senate race and will instead run for the U.S. House of Representatives -- setting up a high-stakes primary showdown with his successor, out lesbian U.S. Rep. Julie Johnson.
Allred had been one of two Democrats, along with State Rep. James Talarico (D-Austin), seeking to challenge incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. John Cornyn. Either Democrat faced an uphill climb in a state that has grown more conservative after briefly appearing to trend Democratic about a decade ago.
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