We demand that Chelsea Piers refuse to host the Jewish Leadership Conference, scheduled for June 12, 2022, which will feature a litany of hateful and bigoted speakers. If this event occurs, we are calling for a boycott of Chelsea Piers.

The Jewish Leadership Conference does not represent the Jewish diaspora. Rather, it brings ultra-conservative Jews together with high-level Catholic political figures around a common agenda: advancing an ongoing coordinated far-right effort to promote hate locally, nationwide, and beyond. As a private business, Chelsea Piers should act responsibly and in solidarity with real New Yorkers by refusing to host this reprehensible event.

The list of conference speakers is a who's who of homophobes, transphobes, Islamophobes, misogynists, racists, anti-abortionists, nationalists, and religious fundamentalists. Some of the most repugnant include:

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who passed the most aggressive anti-queer legislation in the country (“Don’t Say Gay”) as well as the fear-mongering "anti-CRT" bill banning the study of racism in schools. He is a white nationalist who is trying to out-Trump Donald Trump, and will likely run for president.
Mike Pompeo, far-right Christian fundamentalist who, as Trump's Secretary of State, established a commission on unalienable rights to justify restrictions on reproductive rights and rights of LGBTQ people. He is a supporter of illegal Israeli settlements and of neo-fascist presidents like Jair Bolsonaro and Viktor Orban.
John Podhoretz, former speechwriter for Presidents Reagan and George H.W. Bush, whose administrations preferred to spread homophobia and ignore mass AIDS deaths.
Roger Hertog, ex-chairman of the Manhattan Institute, the racist think tank founded to undo the gains of the civil rights movement.
Bari Weiss is a transphobe who weaponizes Jewish identity to legitimize hate against Palestinians and transgender people

We call out the hypocrisy of Chelsea Piers, which celebrates Pride on social media and is happy to take money from the LGBTQ+ community on one hand, and seeks to profit off of homophobic and transphobic bigots on the other.

New York's Museum of Jewish Heritage, which houses the Holocaust museum, was originally slated to host this conference but ultimately cancelled due to the involvement of Ron DeSantis. However, Chelsea Piers has been glad to host it instead. 

We call on Chelsea Piers to answer this call from the community — from New Yorkers of all genders, sexual orientations, religions, races, and backgrounds — and refuse to host the Jewish Leadership Conference set to take place June 12.

If this event goes forward, we will mobilize our communities to denounce both the JLC and Chelsea Piers. We will remember that this venue chose profits over people and allowed for hate to thrive in New York City.