Quinn spent St. Patrick's Day 2009 at the White House. At the time she was encouraged by the presence of a number of other glbtq people, including Andrew Tobias, and by President Obama's expression of support for the community.

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In 1999 Quinn made her first run for office in a special election to fill the Council seat of Duane, who had been elected to the New York Senate. She won and quickly established a record as a champion on a wide variety of issues, including not only glbtq rights but also women's health, affordable housing, early childhood education, nutrition programs, maintenance and rehabilitation of libraries, and lobbying reform.

Quinn ascended to the Speakership of the City Council in January 2006, elected by a vote of fifty to zero, with one abstention.

Since term-limit laws were in effect, it was widely anticipated that Quinn, at the end of her eligibility to run for City Council, would enter the 2009 race for mayor since current mayor Michael Bloomberg would also have been unable to seek re-election.

However, despite any mayoral aspirations that she may have had, Quinn supported a successful 2008 bill overturning term limits to allow Bloomberg to seek a third term as mayor in November 2009. The legislation also permits city council members to serve three terms as well, thus the assumption is that Quinn will seek reelection to the Council in 2009.

Quinn's future appeared to be in jeopardy when it was revealed that a "slush fund" was funneling millions of dollars per year to phony groups through the Council. Upon discovering the situation, Quinn cooperated with the United States Attorney's Office and the New York City Department of Investigations in pursuit of the matter. Quinn stated that she was not a target of the inquiry. The publicity surrounding the issue did not prevent her from retaining the Speakership of the Council, but it may have been a factor in removing her from consideration for the United States Senate seat left vacant when Hillary Clinton became Secretary of State.

Quinn was an early supporter of Clinton's bid for the presidency and was a member of the LGBT Americans for Hillary Steering Committee.

Quinn continues to work for glbtq rights, championing, among other concerns, health-care benefits for partners of state employees. In 2009, she held meetings with members of the New York Senate to enlist support for a bill to bring marriage equality to the state.

Quinn recognizes that the issues that she is tackling are numerous and challenging, but she is optimistic that success will be obtainable through hard work and continued dialogue. In 2007 she told reporter Lisa Iannucci, "I rarely come across an obstacle so large that if you didn't keep working and discussing you weren't able to overcome it. What happens is when people leave the negotiating table and leave the room, they've abandoned the search for commonality, and that's when you don't find a solution. You need to keep talking, keep listening, and don't take no for an answer."

In the United States, glbtq candidates have achieved some significant successes at the ballot box in the last three decades, running for and winning local, state, and national elections.

Off and on over two centuries, New York City has also reigned as the capital of homosexual, transgender, and queer life in America.

Both parades and marches have served to render the glbtq community visible; whereas marches typically attempt to effect political change, parades and pride events affirm identity and community.

Historically, the Roman Catholic Church may be the institution most responsible for the suffering of individuals involved in same-sex sexual relationships.

Lesbian and gay couples have been fighting for the freedom to marry since the dawn of the modern glbtq struggle for equality; despite some success abroad, progress toward same-sex marriage in the United States has been slow.

Financial writer Andrew Tobias, the author of the classic coming out memoir The Best Little Boy in the World (1973), was elected Treasurer of the Democratic Party in 1999.