Who is the real racist, Senator Diaz?

So the crazy Albany power-play seems to be over and the marriage equality bill seems as up-in-the-air - as it was when the whole circus came to town - despite the fact that Democrats seem to have regained control ("What the Senate Democratic win means", Gay City News, July 9, 2009).

Still, one fact remains: Senator Ruben Diaz, Sr. (who happens to be a Pentecostal minister and is the leading marriage equality foe in the state senate) is still a homophobic asshole.

Now, before you get your socks all knotted up over me calling a preacher an "asshole", please consider this report from earlier in the week.

The Reverend using the word "asshole" to describe one of his colleagues was actually the least of it! In that same press statement he called Democratic State Senator Jeff Klein a racist for criticizing the upheaval in Albany as being detrimental to public policy:

State Senator Rev. Ruben Diaz, President of the New York State Senate Puerto Rican/Latino Caucus, is demanding an apology from Senator Jeff Klein’s statement calling them “irrelevant” and “people like that”. By saying “people like that” does he mean Hispanic or what?

Klein actually replied and said that his statements had been taken out of context. If only he had checked up on what the Reverend had said recently to Spanish-language media!

On Wednesday - and before things in Albany had settled - El Diario La Prensa printed a Spanish-language article titled "Democratic cat-fight in the Senate". In it, they quoted Diaz as follows:

"If this is not resolved in good terms, it will be done on bad terms," he said, "If the little Republican whiteys [si los blanquitos republicanos] recognize this, why wouldn't we as well?"

Ah! Reverend Diaz never failing to disappoint! And getting a free pass on his own racism to boot! Apparently he's emerged as a winner in the Senate fracas as well.

As for the marriage equality bill, the New York Times reports tonight that it's been put on hold ("With NY Senate astir, Paterson will delay same-sex marriage bill").

Previously:

• Sen. Ruben Diaz, Sr.: Blame Michael Bloomberg for the lack of marriage equality in New York