Thomas Duane

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Thomas K. Duane (b. 1955) represents District 29 in the New York State Senate, which stretches along Manhattan's West Side from 85th Street to Canal Street, and includes the following neighborhoods: Upper West Side, Hell's Kitchen, Chelsea, Greenwich Village, and part of the East Side, including the East Village, Stuyvesant Town, Peter Cooper Village and Waterside Plaza. First elected to the senate in 1998, he was re-elected in 2002 and 2006.

Currently, Senator Duane is the Ranking Minority Member on the State Senate Codes and Crime Victims, Crimes, and Corrections committees.

His signature legislative accomplishment in the New York State legislature to date has been the passage of the Sexual Orientation Non-Discrimation Act (SONDA) in 2002, which was subsequently signed into law by Governor George Pataki.

He was also instrumental in the ultimate passage of the Crimes Protection Act, which stipulates longer penalties for those convicted of alleged hate crimes, and mandates that New York State keep an active database of these crimes.

Prior to his election to the New York State Senate in 1998 Duane served in the New York City Council for seven years. For part of that time, Christine Quinn worked as his chief-of-staff. Just as in the State Senate, Duane was the first openly gay and HIV-positive member of that body when he was first elected in 1991.

Thomas Duane also served four terms as Male Democratic District Leader in the 64th Assembly District beginning in 1982. He has also served as a member of his local community board in the past.

Duane holds a degree in American and Urban Studies from Lehigh University.