One of the main points of conversation that often arises in politics is the lack of diversity in the government that represents us and claims to advocate for everyday people’s needs. In a new documentary that premiered as the New York Centerpiece of this year’s NewFest, one proudly non-binary drag queen took a brave stand to make a change.

Their name is Marti Gould Cummings, and in 2021, they ran to become the newest City Councilperson in New York City’s District 7. Queen of New York follows Marti’s last six months on the campaign trail as they fight to create meaningful change in the district, whether it be for better housing, defunding the police or reallocating funds into public school systems. They face a steep challenge, though: they are not from the district originally, and many of their competitors — most notably Shaun Abreu — were born and raised there. If Cummings were elected, they would make history as the first openly LGBTQ+ City Councilperson of District 7.

The film gives great insight into what it takes to run a successful political campaign by showing how the campaign builds over time. For local elections like the one depicted in the film, the importance of building community and helping people out gets Marti far. We witness Marti talking to people in the street, getting to hear their backstories and giving people information about where they can get vaccinated and registered to vote.

Throughout the 80-minute runtime, viewers get to know the community itself and what makes it so vibrant and special. The film’s best and most touching moments serve as a tribute to the people living in NYC’s District 7 and their various lives. In a few instances throughout, the film cuts to a series of close-up interviews with residents. This not only illustrates the important issues on people’s minds during the election, but it also helps reveal the beating heart of this community and what they stand for. The film could have benefitted from exploring this group even more and extending farther back into the district’s history and identity.

Queen of New York has a lot on its mind — much like Marti — and finds itself getting a bit lost in fine-tuning its clear focus. At times, the story abruptly cuts between Marti’s backstory and desire to reimagine what politics can look like, the broader issues affecting the LGBTQ+ community and the other main candidates in the election. As a result, the story is stretched thin at times since it is trying to cover so much ground. However, the ground the film does cover brings up a lot of important conversations about what the future of politics can look like if we fight for it.

Queen of New York isn’t quite as revolutionary as it wants to be, but it still makes for an informative and educational historical document of this time period in LGBTQ+ history. The final moments of the film beautifully bring it back to queer pride and how the fight continues to move on. While the story at hand is about Marti’s run for office, it all ties back to the greater causes that connect us all. 

The more queer stories that are told in the world, the greater our world can become.

Review Courtesy of Matt Minton at NewFest 2023

Feature Image via NewFest