There’s a man in Mayor Eric Adams’ life.
By LOUIS FLORES
Mayor Eric Adams (D-New York City) is refusing to speak out about a report published on Saturday by POLITICO, which disclosed details about a “close” relationship he has with another man. The other man, Zhan “Johnny” Petrosyants, was described as a restaurateur with a “checkered past.”
When pressed by Progress New York, the New York City Hall press office would not answer questions about whether Mayor Adams was gay or living “in the closet.”
Visit C’est Vrai for a sneak peak at advanced network analysis about Eric Adams .
A secret private life
Mayor Adams has been prone to keep important details about his private life secret, so much so that, during the lead-up to the 2021 Democratic Party mayoral primary, he was forced to give journalists a tour of his reported Brooklyn residence to dispel gossip and innuendo that he was really living in New Jersey. At the time of the tour, the then mayoral candidate claimed he had a “girlfriend,” but he hadn’t seen her in two months, according to a report published by the Daily Mail.
The man at the center of the POLITICO report, Mr. Petrosyants, was described as “keeping watch” over Mayor Adams. The two men spend “extensive time together,” enjoying an active nightlife and sharing their evenings together at Mr. Petrosyants’ apartment. The two men also own condominium units “nearly across the street from each other” in Fort Lee, N.J., according to the POLITICO report.
Although the POLITICO report stopped shorting of describing the two men as romantically-involved, the openly gay former New York City Council speaker, Corey Johnson, was quoted as describing Mr. Petrosyants as one of the people “that are closest to” Mayor Adams “in his life.”
Playing both sides
In 2009, then State Sen. Adams voted for the marriage equality bill that, after its ultimate failed passage, became a flashpoint for a social movement for LGBTQ civil rights. Eventually, marriage equality became the law in New York in 2011.
But Mayor Adams’ record on sexual orientation and gender identity became clouded when he was reportedly considering appointing Fernando Cabrera to head the City’s troubled mental health initiative — but backpedaled after a public expression of outrage from the LGBTQ community, according to a report published by Gay City News. In the past, Mr. Cabrera has espoused homophobic sentiments, according to another report published by Gay City News.
Recently, Mayor Adams has voiced support for expanding and increasing the budgetary funding for the police, a policy proposal that many interpret will lead to violations of the civil rights and civil liberties by the New York Police Department of New York’s various minority populations, including LGBTQ New Yorkers.