Ritchie Torres

Ritchie Torres is an American politician born on March 12, 1988. He is a member of the Democratic Party and has served as the U.S. Representative for New York's 15th congressional district since 2021. Torres made history as the first openly gay Afro-Latino elected to Congress, representing a district in the Bronx, New York, which is known for its diverse population.

Before serving in Congress, Torres was a member of the New York City Council, where he focused on issues such as affordable housing, economic development, and public safety. He is particularly known for his advocacy in areas like housing inequality, policing reforms, and social justice.

Torres' background as a progressive voice in Congress, combined with his trailblazing personal story, has made him an influential figure in both national politics and within the LGBTQ+ community. Would you like to learn more about his policies or political achievements?

Articles by the author

Communities of color, like the South Bronx, have long been exposed to elevated levels of air pollution that gravely impact all aspects of our health: physical, mental, and emotional.

Ritchie Torres

Even in our moment of greatest darkness, there is light. And there is hope. And there is hope not only for our own lives, but we should be hopeful about our ability to change the world.

Ritchie Torres

As a child of the Bronx who grew up in the projects, I was often too scared to come out of the closet, too blinded to see clearly my own value, my own equality.

Ritchie Torres

Equality has long been the end goal of historically oppressed populations in the United States.

Ritchie Torres

Like Native Americans and African-Americans, women and LGBTQ people, Puerto Ricans should be seen as part of the same overarching struggle for equality - in a nation whose greatest vice is the perennial failure to practice the virtue it preaches.

Ritchie Torres

Ranked choice voting isn't a silver bullet that will turn our politics into some Platonic ideal. We still might not love the candidates we get and the choices we have to make. It won't drain all the polarization and toxicity that has accumulated over years and years. And it doesn't mean that your favorite candidate will always win.

Ritchie Torres