This sign was posted on the front doors of a public New York City high-school right across the street from my apartment building:
We value diversity and strive to create a safe space or all. Discrimination against lesbian, gay bisexual and transgender youth, mentors, employees and foster/adoptive parents is prohibited.
I'm not sure when this campaign started. I certainly can't find it on the website of the city agency that created it (The NYC Administration for Children Services). But I have to say that, living in Jackson Heights, I had to do a double take when I saw the poster. It was there all day Friday and wasn't taken down all day long even as parents brought their children to school and teachers walked through those doors.
The long and short of it is that it made me think back of my days in high-school and how impossible something like this would have been at the time. Sometimes we LGBT rights advocates do not recognize it but things have certainly changed in our lifetime. Or, at the very least, my lifetime.
Today is primary election day in New York. I'm keeping my eye on a couple of races and would like to ask readers in those districts to vote for two specific candidates.
Francisco Moya vs. Hiram Monserrate: The first race is in the 39th State Assembly District in Queens which is an open seat. It also happens to be the district in which I live.
Long-time community advocate Francisco Moya has ran for political office before and has never been elected. I predict he will easily win the primary in large part because he's got the backing of several labor unions, a number of the leading politicians in the city and the Queens Democratic Party.
Funny thing about that El Diario endorsement: It doesn't mention a word about his lead rival.
That would be disgraced former Councilmember and State Senator Hiram Monserrate, who was ousted of the State Senate after being convicted of assaulting his girlfriend. In his brief run as a state senator, he also threw the legislature into disarray when he wavered on siding with Republicans on grabbing control from Democrats. Oh, and after years of saying he was in favor of marriage equality for same-sex couples, when it actually came to delivering, he voted against them.
Did I mention I considered Hiram to be a friend at one time? Heck, I took him to his first gay bar!
The one caveat about Moya? He is deep, deep, DEEP into Queens Democratic Party machine politics (heck, he once worked for Queens Dem Party leader and US Congressman Joseph Crowley) and I've always been about independent politics. There's no doubt Francisco will just give his stamp of approval on every single thing Crowley sends down to him. And that's not necessarily a good thing.
On the other hand, it's Hiram he is running against. Today: Vote Francisco Moya.
If that sounded like a lukewarm endorsement, the next one won't...
Charlie Ramos vs. Ruben Diaz, Sr.: In what El Diario La Prensa has called a "David and Goliath" race, community leader Carlos "Charlie" Ramos is challenging homophobic state senator Ruben Diaz, Sr. in the Bronx's 32nd Senate District. Ramos, who has led a shoe-string campaign to unseat one of the worst homophobic politicians in the city.
The extent to which Diaz has amassed outside national funding from anti-gay and "Tea Party" sources while failing to raise funds from constituents speaks to his lack of support from local voters.
Unfortunately, people in his district vote at one of the lowest rates in the city and this has always worked in his favor. He has always been able to motivate his blind followers on social issues while those who might vote against him usually stay home and let him get away with it.
I'll probably have more to say about this in the future, particularly if Ramos fails at his bid. But, if you read this and live in the Bronx, please make an effort to cast your vote for Charlie Ramos. If you do, it will stun the political world and relegate Diaz, Sr. to the history books. It will also get you a humbler Senator who will respond to the community's needs and not his own. At least not the needs of a Senator who believes he might as well cave in because the end of days are near...
The New York Times is reporting that José Osvaldo Sucuzhañay, the Ecuadorean immigrant who was beaten up a week ago in an attack that is being investigated as a homophobic and xenophobic hate crime was declared dead after his heart stopped beating on Friday. Mr. Sucuzhañay, who was 31 years old and a father of two, had been declared brain-dead earlier in the week and never regained consciousness after the violent beating.
None of the three assailants who were seen at the scene of the attack have been caught but police released a description of one of the men and announced a $22,000 reward for information leading to their capture.
Mr. Sucuzhañay's mother, who received a special humanitarian visa to travel to the United States from Ecuador, arrived in the city on Friday but by then her son had already lost his life.
Two vigils had been previously announced to take place today in Brooklyn beginning at 2pm in Bushwick (click on link for more information). In addition, the Times says that Mr. Sucuzhañay's family are planning to hold a press conference today at 1pm in front of Elmhurst Hospital in Jackson Heights, Queens. A source lose to the family says that the family will then head to the vigils in Brooklyn.
Today at the State Supreme Court in Queens, John L. McGhee was given a sentence of 22 years to life in prison in the 2001 murder of 35 year old Edgar Garzon, closing a painful chapter for his friends and family.
Above, photos from Eddie's life including his baptism (above left); his loving family (just below); Eddie as a child standing next to his mother Leonor (above right); and with the Colombian Lesbian and Gay Association crew (several photos at the bottom) hoisting a huge coffee bag with the yellow blue and red colors of the Colombian flag and dancing up a storm down the 5th Avenue Heritage of Pride Parade dressed in the coffee cup costumes he designed for the parade [click on image to make it larger].
An online article by Duncan Osborne posted late today at Gay City News reports that Leonor Garzon, Eddie's mom, addressed McGhee with the help of a translator:
"There is a deep wound in our hearts that will never heal; as you see Mr. McGhee, you have taken us from living a good life... Today, our companions are sadness and loneliness."
McGhee, to the end, maintained his innocence:
"I did not commit this crime," he said. "By locking me away for the rest of my life and leaving the real criminal out there, that may feel good, but that's not justice."
Long time readers of this blog know that during the early days I tried to write down my recollections on finding that a friend had been assaulted on the streets of Queens in August of 2001 and subsequently passed away from the injuries a few days before 9/11. 35 year old Eddie Garzon had apparently been the victim of a brutal gay bashing.
Two years ago 38 year old John L. McGhee was arrested by police as he stepped out of a plane from London. He was charged in Garzon's murder and was taken to court.
Stunningly, despite testimony from a star witness who said he had been with McGhee on the night of the attack and observed the beating, the trial ended in a mistrial(it should be said, though, that by all accounts, witness Christopher Ricalde's testimony did contain some inconsistencies).
The Queens Distric Attorney's Office promised at the time to bring McGhee back to court for a second trial.
This week I spoke to a reporter from El Diario La Prensa who is writing an article on the new trial for this Sunday's paper. She also interviewed Eddie's parents.
But even as the new trial is slated to begin next month, I was stunned today when Duncan Osborne at Gay City News alerted me to an article just posted online ("Witness Lost in Gay Murder Case"). Osborbe reports that Ricalde can't be found and will probably not testify at the new trial.
Sharon Stapel, Executive Director the New York City Anti-Violence Project, told GCN that there was no way to predict the impact of the missing witness. "Obviously, at AVP we are happy that the district attorney's office is pursuing this case with all of the resources they've put behind it," she said.
But I can't help but feel angry that the Queens District Attorney's Office has lost track of what only could be considered as their star witness.
According to GCN, "Without Ricalde on the stand, a jury will hear [McGhee's attorney]'s original cross examination read from the transcript, but jurors will not see his potentially flawed testimony."
As readers of the blog know, this Tuesday voters in Queens' 30th District (covering Ridgewood, Glendale and Middle Village) will elect for someone to replace disgraced Republican Councilmember Dennis Gallagher in a special election.
Readers also know that my friend Charles Ober is vying for the seat as a Democrat and an openly gay candidate in what is considered to be a conservative district. He has already been the focus of a vile homophobic and anonymous letter writing campaign to dissuade voters from voting in his favor.
Being gay, of course, does not automatically qualify you for the city council, but Charlie has certainly worked hard as a community leader in Queens for decades and he has certainly earned his right to vie for the seat. As a friend, I might be biased in my support, but some less biased observers also think he is the best candidate among the contenders.
The New York Times editorial board, for one, endorsed Ober yesterday:
Charles Ober [is] a financial executive and community activist. The fact that Mr. Ober is openly gay has drawn attention because of the district’s conservative leanings. But more important are his deep roots in the community and the years he has spent engaging his neighbors on problems like prostitution and graffiti. His energy and civic engagement would be a valuable addition in the City Council.
By all accounts the leading candidate is Democrat Elizabeth Crowley, the cousin of Congressman Joe Crowley, who happens to be the Queens Democratic Party boss. She has also shown not to be all that gay-friendly.
Back in April, Azi Paybarah of the New York Observer noted that Ober had won the endorsement of the Stonewall Democratic Club - the largest LGBT political club in the city - and that Crowley did not even show up at the endorsement meeting.
This in itself does not make her unfriendly to gays but more telling was her campaign's response when those anti-gay letters began to appear in voter's mailing boxes: The Crowley camp not only failed to repudiate the letters but insinuated that the Ober campaign might have made them up (On May 1st, Crowley campaign manager Michael Reich told the New York Daily News "It looks like they manufactured an issue and tried to get press on it").
Considering these developments and the fact that Ober might be poised to become the first openly gay candidate from Queens to be elected to the city council you might think that the only gay Democratic club in the borough might give him a ringing endorsement.
Alas, you might be wrong.
Gay City News reported that the Lesbian & Gay Democratic Club of Queens voted 19-0 in favor of endorsing Crowley over Ober. This despite the fact that Ober showed up at the endorsement meeting and completed a candidate's questionnaire and - big surprise! - Crowley did neither ("Gay Council Bid in Queens," May 15, 2008).
Pauline Park, also a friend, put it this way "It's really hypocritical and extraordinary that they would not endorse a qualified gay candidate especially when they endorsed a candidate who has no apparent qualification for public office at all except that she's the cousin of the county boss."
This played into the paper's endorsement on Thursday which says, in part:
Charles Ober, a longtime civic and Democratic activist in his Ridgewood community who served the LGBT community for the past decade as the board president of the Queens Pride House, is a thoughtful candidate unafraid to tell voters how he feels on critical issues, regardless of the way the wind is blowing through any particular audience.
A spokesperson for the Lesbian and Gay Democratic Club of Queens indicated that the club's endorsement was still secure in Crowley's hand. "It's surprising because she did send a representative to the club and she showed interest in getting our endorsement," he said, "I'm not going to try to minimize that."
He also added that "It doesn't make Charlie Ober any better of a candidate; we're not comfortable with Ober's relationship to our club," indicating that their endorsement (or lack of one) speaks to animosity against Ober and is not necessarily based on merit.
If you are someone who can cast a vote this Tuesday in the 30th district in Queens, I urge you to pull the lever for Ober. Show that Queens can elect a Councilmember based on his or her ability to serve the 30th District and not on who the Democratic Party boss - or the Gay and Lesbian Democratic Club of Queens - tells you to vote for.
I haven't done one of these in a while. Today it was simply a glorious day outside with temperatures in the 70's and nothing but sunny skies. I watched the morning political shows on television and could have done some apartment cleaning and such but it seemed like a crime to stay indoors. So, I decided to do something I'd been meaning to do for a while and which I'd never done. Walk from my Jackson Heights apartment to Central Park across the Queensboro Bridge (approx. a 5 mile walk). A few of the things I saw...
If you need tires, who go anywhere else but Tires by Papi? This is actually a few blocks away from my apartment building on Broadway and on the other side of the BQE underpass. Tried to look for Papi but he didn't seem to be around.
Still on Broadway, having almost reached Northern Boulevard, I noticed a truck with a sign that read "Basurero Restaurant-Bar" (click here for image). Yes. New York City is known for being a dirty city and you should see the trash-bags pile up on the streets sometimes, but why would anyone want to eat at a restaurant called "Trashcan Restaurant-Bar?"
Next up is the New York Ham'n'Egg Eatery on Northern Boulevard which is one of those beautiful art-deco diners that seem in danger of extinction and will probably be gone within a few years. The unfortunate name defies the aluminum and neon sign that says Blue Crystal Diner (image here) which I much prefer (and someone else seems to agree).
Then it's on to parts of Astoria that have been taken over by the Brazilian community (some amazing Brazilian restaurants in the area as well) and...
Manhattan in the distance, still a ways to go.
Past the auto dealerships and Jiffy Lube auto repair shops as I neared the Queensboro Bridge, my first bear sighting!
More bear sightings to come in just a moment! In the meantime, what's a horny hetero guy to do with all the x-rated novelty shops shutting down in this city? Closeted gay guys looking for a quick fix as well, I guess (image here).
And over the bridge we go! Not as photogenic as - say - the Brooklyn Bridge. But an easy walk across it nevertheless.
Once over the bridge there was way too much traffic and too many people in the Upper East Side so I didn't take any photos until...
Voila! El Parque Central!
Which takes us to our second bear sighting of the day...
Why, isn't that blogger extraordinaire Joe.My.God? Why, yes, indeed. I realized it a bit too late to say howdy (he's on a hiatus for now).
In the meantime, I'm sure everyone knows that it's Fleet Week in New York! Which must only mean...
Marines! They seemed a bit lost but can't say that I was of much help: They were looking for military monuments throughout the park and suggestions of where to go have fun at night without having to spend an arm and a leg (I swear I might look just as tall if I had only worn my cap). They did call me 'Sir', which I thought was sorta cute. Then again I am on the verge of 40.
So a nice walk and day at the park even if it was a tad crowded...
It's a seasonal thing. Once a year bright colored posters go up on the windows of some of the Indian and Pakistani supermarkets in my neighborhood announcing the annual Kabaddi tournament in Richmond Hill, Queens.
I've always wanted to check them out but for some reason I always notice the posters after the tournament is all over. This year, though, I think I figured out why.
I swear the poster to the right was taped to the window only this week, a week after the event! Maybe you get the posters at the event and then post them out of pride for the sport once you get back home?
Now, I admit, I was confused. Based on posters from past years I always thought these were Turkish oil wrestling matches but no sirree! There's no oil involved! And - until I read the poster last night - I hadn't even heard the word Kabaddi.
So what is Kabaddi? For one you might check the Kabaddi.org site or Wikipedia for info. Or just check the YouTube video below. Any takers for next year's matches?
I met Richard Sandman (left) about five years ago in Queens as he was attending an immigration law workshop for immigrants with HIV. We'd corresponded through e-mail on immigration issues before but it was nice to put a face to the name.
As of late, Sandman, who often provided pro-bono work representing HIV positive and LGBT immigrants from an academic environment, had recently decided to launch his own private attorney practice.
I can't say that we were friends but over the years we developed a close professional relationship. He often reached out to me to see if I had country-specific documentation on abuses against HIV positive and LGBT individuals in certain Latin American countries and, more often than not, I was able to provide him with a wealth of information from my archives. He also would refer clients to me for advice on immigration issues and to facilitate sharing of information in cases that he was working on.
Last time I exchanged messages with Richard back in April, he had asked whether I had articles on Argentina. I'd saved a reminder to send him the information but had yet to get around to it. Yet, the reminder stared at me from time to time and made me feel guilty I still hadn't looked for stuff in my files. What made me feel at ease was that Richard was pretty good at reminding me if I still hadn't replied, knowing how overwhelmed I sometimes get at work, and - so far - he had not pressed for the info.
This is why it was such a shock to me to find out on Friday night that Richard, who was 46, had passed away on April 30th. He had been hospitalized on April 23d after suffering a massive heart attack and, though doctors seemed to think he might survive after a week in a coma, unfortunately he did not make it through.
A sweet low-key kinda guy who truly helped hundreds of HIV positive and LGBT immigrants gain political asylum in the United States, Richard was truly an unsung hero. He was somewhat comfortable with the Spanish language which surprised me a bit until I found out his family was from Mexico. Still, as always, he would underplay just how much Spanish he knew and was self-depreciating about his language abilities.
A mutual friend tells me he was so dedicated to his work that few people truly got to know him. By all accounts, though, many seemed to love the guy and recognize his unselfishness in dedicating his life's work to the issue of immigration.
So, thanks Richard, for dedicating your life to such an unprotected and maligned population. Thanks, Richard, for the many times you expressed admiration for my work. And, thanks, Richard, for inspiring others - including me - to keep doing what we do.
Too late to learn about a recent memorial in my case, friends set up a blog to update others on Richard's condition from the moment that he was hospitalized. You can read the entries and comments made by friends here.
If you think the presidential race is getting nasty, just take a look at a local election taking place in Queens.
Vying to replace one of the few Republicans holding citywide office, three Republicans and three Democrats are duking it out in a special City Council election being held on June 3rd (Republican Dennis Gallagher, who had held the seat, stepped down as part of a plea deal stemming from a sexual assault). The leading candidates in the race are Anthony Como who got the backing of the Queens County GOP and Elizabeth Crowley, who got the backing of the Queens Democratic Party (she also happens to be a cousin of Queens Congressman Joseph Crowley who also acts as the party's chair). Also in the running is Charles Ober, who happens to be an openly gay man and is someone I have known for more than a decade. Yesterday, Ober denounced a batch of anonymous and homophobic letters mailed last week using vile language to warn local residents against voting for him.
Excerpts highlighted by the ABC7 report above include the following pearls of wisdom:
Queers have no place in our life. Get out and stay out. Our children do not have to see this garbage.
We already have too many faggots trying to change the laws. We don’t need more queers here.
I now have to worry that a pedophile is going to be living here.
He is not going to represent me. No faggot is going to represent me.
That is why God gave them AIDS. Die and rot in hell. He looks like he has AIDS and he probably does.
Today's Daily News also pulled this quote: "Our kids will be exposed to faggots holding hands, kissing and running up Myrtle Ave. in a dress."
Surprisingly, Ober was joined by one of his rivals, Republican Thomas Ognibene, who received one of the letters and offered Ober his support against this type of politics.
"This is one of the most horrendous pieces of literature I have ever received and, of course it's anonymous, because that's they way cowards do business," he tells ABC.
What does the Queens Democratic Party have to say? Here's their Executive Secretary, Michael Reich to the Daily News: "It looks like they manufactured an issue and tried to get press on it."
In fact, the News says that multiple Democratic insiders (read: the Queens Democratic old guard) also expressed doubts about the letter and said that it might be a hoax perpetrated by Ober and Ognibene.
On the Daily News political blog, The Daily Politics, Ober doesn't say if he suspects anyone in particular of sending the letters but he drew parallels to the fact that the Queens Democratic Party had not endorsed him.
Ober has received the endorsement of the city's largest LGBT Democratic club, Stonewall Democrats. Ms. Crowley did not even show up at the endorsement meeting.
On March 2nd, I mentioned that a few friends - all openly gay - were considering running for the City Council in Queens making some of the local match-ups some of the most interesting in the upcoming city-wide elections.
On Tuesday, one of them made it official: Charles Ober, who I have known for more than a decade, threw his hat into the ring.
Although certain areas of Queens remain conservative (and in this case Charlie would, if elected, take an open seat vacated by a Republican councilmember who resigned in a sexual scandal), Queens is certainly not the land of Archie Bunker anymore. That's a picture of Charlie I took in 2004. I am biased but I think he'd make a great city councilmember. Here is the press release announcing his candidacy:
CHARLES J. OBER CANDIDATE FOR CITY COUNCIL 30TH COUNCIL DISTRICT
Charles Ober today announces his candidacy for city council in the 30th city council district covering the Queens communities of Glendale, Liberty Park, Maspeth, Middle Village, Ridgewood, Richmond Hill and Woodhaven. Mr. Ober will run in the election to fill the unexpired term of councilman Dennis Gallagher who announced his resignation yesterday. Charles Ober, a resident of Ridgewood for over 27 years, is a civic leader who is an officer and board member of a number of local community organizations.
He is currently 1st Vice President of the Ridgewood Property Owners and Civic Association, Treasurer of the Asian-American Consulting/New Land Community Center, President of the Ridgewood Democratic Club, board member of the Greater Ridgewood Restoration Corp., legislation committee member of the Queens Civic Congress, and a member of the President’s Roundtable Advisory Board at La Guardia Community College, the Richmond Hill Kiwanis, and the Steuben Society.
The civic work of Mr. Ober in all these community-based organizations in recent years has included advocacy for quality of life issues including sanitation, graffiti, policing, housing, preservation, and various community projects including after-school programming, educational forums, membership services, legislative advocacy, non-partisan voter registration, advocacy for city capital projects and fundraising.
Charles Ober stated today, “My extensive civic work provides a clear choice for the voter in the 30th Council District. My experience and civic work provide a firm foundation upon which I can base my service to the community in the City Council. I am ready to roll up my sleeves and tackle the problems our communities face, including flooding and sewer under-capacity, safety of railroad crossings, overdevelopment, historical preservation and policing. I intend to run a positive campaign about my ideas for preserving our communities and our quality of life. I am particularly proud that
I most recently led the civic effort for the Queens Civic Congress that led to the passage of a graffiti nuisance abatement law in the City Council.”
Charles Ober worked with City Council members in the graffiti nuisance abatement bill drafting and organizing civic groups in support of the bill. Previous attempts to pass a similar bill over many years had failed. The graffiti nuisance abatement law, enforcement of which began in 2007, gives the city the authority to enforce cleaning of buildings of graffiti that mars our neighborhoods where absentee owners refused to sign waivers.
In 2003 Charles Ober co-founded the Coalition for a United Ridgewood, a coalition of churches and civic groups to bring the community together after the redistricting of Ridgewood. That effort led to an award from the Citizens Committee for New York City. He is past president of Queens Pride House, a community health advocacy center founded in Queens Borough Hall and now located in Jackson Heights. The past two years Mr. Ober has led the efforts to restore the historic Ridgewood Democratic Club building.
Charles Ober graduated from Marist College and has an M.B.A. in quantitative analysis from St. John’s University. He is currently a financial executive with a local building supply company. He was in the teamsters union and department stores union before that.
Basically, there are "at least" five openly gay community leaders in Queens who are exploring launching campaign bids for the upcoming 2009 New York City council elections with two of them possibly facing each other in my own district of Jackson Heights.
I already wrote a bit about that particular race back in November and introduced you to one of the candidates- Alfonso Quiroz (above) - who also got a pretty nice write up recently in the Queens Courier as well.
Elsewhere my friends James Van Bramer and Charles Ober are also mentioned as considering runs. We all were founding members of the Queens Pride House and the now-defunct Guillermo Vasquez Independent Democratic Club of Queens which makes me think that maybe I should also get into the council swing of things and launch my very own exploratory committee! (A joke! That would make it three gay guys going for the same seat and that might be one queer guy too many).
Anyhoo, my friend Doug had invited me to today's St. Pat's for All Parade & Fair in Queens. It was founded nine years ago by my friend and immigrant rights activist Brendan Fay (it does get sorta incestuous in the way that everyone seems to be related politically or socially, no?) and, even if I wasn't a founder of the Parade a little known fact was that I was one of the guys who carried the big Irish flag color balloon arch at that first parade! I tell you! I'm everywhere! (Here is today's version of the arch with City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and Brandon behind it).
Christine, of course if rumored to be considering a run for the Mayor's Office after Michael Bloomberg vacates the office. Also rumored to be in the running, City Comptroller Bill Thompson, who marched behind the Stonewall Democrats of New Yorkbanner.
The Parade usually attracts politicians who want to express Irish pride but do not march in the larger Manhattan St. Patrick's Day Parade which has a long history of discriminating against gays and lesbians. So while it's not necessarily a gay pride parade it does attract a few LGBT organizations.
Still, there are pockets of intolerance in Queens as there are everywhere else and there were a few anti-gay protesters (here's one holding a sign that reads "Rifraf out of Woodside"). I assume the 'rifraf' inlcudes non-Irish queer folk as well such as Hombres Latinos de Ambiente (pictured with their banner).
Good thing - then - that Doug's friend, Robert, was able to reclaim sodomy as ours in a stealth move that caught the protesters unguarded.
Still, nothing - and I mean nothing - could be gayer than reclaiming that old Irish ditty recently popularized (some may say plagiarized) by Ms. Britney Spears. And it goes something like this:
Been a while since I wrote about local politics but a post today by The Politicker's Azi Paybarah certainly caught my attention:
Are two openly gay candidates about to duke it out in my districtin the next city council elections?
Danny Dromm who I met more than a decade ago when we both were on the founding board of the Queens Pride House- and is currently a Democratic District Leader - certainly has spent some time trying to build some support from the Queens Democratic establishment (including Queens CongressmanJoseph Crowley) as well as some of the LGBT political leaders outside the borough (most recently Christopher Murray, Dan Tietz, Alan Fleishman and Gary Parker from Brooklyn's Lambda Independent Democrats tried to organize a fundraiser for Dromm though it was canceled due to a scheduling conflict).
It could also be said that Dromm has been nurtured by City Council Speaker Christine Quinn (who I actually have loved in a platonic, politicky kind of way as far back as when she used to be Senator Tom Duane's Chief of Staff).
She certainly hasn't endorsed anyone at this early date but her name often pops up in invites supporting Dromm as Distric Leader (Danny and I actually were invited to have breakfast with Mayor Michael Bloomberg - along with other political leaders - to discuss civil marriage rights for same-sex couples at the City Council Speaker's suggestion back in March of 2006).
With the current term limits law Helen Sears, my current representative to the City Council, will be vacating her seat and leaving it wide open in the next elections which explains Dromm's intention to run for the seat.
But Azi's post today raises the intriguing possibility that another openly gay candidate might enter the race for the same seat and it happens to be - gulp! - none other than Helen Sears' former Chief of Staff - and Queens man-about-town - Alfonso Quiroz (pictured), who also has deep-rooted connections to the city-wide politirati and might draw some interesting endorsements and supporters should he decide to go for it (mind you, this is all tawdry rumor-mongering at this point in time but I certainly know who I'd back between the two of them).
Officially the Quiroz man has expressed interest in a District Leader post, NOT a city council seat. But the Politicker's analysis is - at the very least - intriguing.
Not that if he decides to run he'll be doing so in a vacuum along with Dromm. Other rumored potential candidates for the seat include Stuart Sears (son! of! Helen!), Eddie Giraldo (the former president of the Queens Hispanic Chamber of Commerce), Vasantrai M. Ghandi (Chair of the Queens Community Board 3) and perhaps Luis Rosero who has unsuccessfully sought political office in Queens before (UPDATE: A reader says that Eddie Giraldo might not be interested in running while Bryan Pu-Folkes, who has previously ran for the same seat might be back this time around as well).
Doug Robinson's YouTube question for the Republican presidential candidates: In the meantime, my friend Doug Robinson has submitted a YouTube video for tomorrow's Republican CNN/YouTube debate. I'm not sure it has been chosen for airplay but it IS worth airing - which is why I have posted it below as well.
From my last post, you might have correctly guessed that I spent Sunday afternoon watching the annual Veterans Day Parade in Manhattan. I've been to a multitude of parades over the years and even marched in some of them but this was the first time that I consciously made an effort to attend a Veterans Day Parade.
What brought me there was a number of unrelated stories that I had read as of late regarding four young men who served in the United States military - 25 year-old Army Specialist Alex R. Jimenez (pictured above), born in the Dominican Republic and missing in Iraq since his convoy was attacked on May 12th; 22 year-old Army Specialist Jonathan Rivadeneira, born in Colombia and killed by a roadside bombing in Iraq on September 14th; 22 year-old Army Sgt. Joe Nurrefrom California, killed by a roadside bomb back in 2005; and Marine Lance Corporal James Blake Miller - a/k/a "The Marlboro Marine" - whose weary, battle-fatigued face was plastered across the cover of a number of United States newspapers in a now-famous image (Miller has since been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and let go from the Marines).
Now, there is no real connection between these soldiers other than they were sent to fight in Iraq and that their stories caught my attention. They also might not be demographically representative of those who have been killed, wounded or have experienced PTSD as a result of their service for the United States in Iraq or Afghanistan. But...
Jimenez and Rivadeneira: I'd been thinking about writing about Specialists Jimenez and Rivadeneira and their relation to the borough were I live - Jimenez' mom lives in Queens and the disappearance of her son made the covers of the local newspapers and Rivadeneira actually grew up with his family in a building that is literally four blocks away from where I live - and the bizarre disconnect I feel exists between day-to-day life in the city and the fact that some of our own neighbors are serving and even sometimes dying overseas. I mean, Jimenez' mother is still waiting to hear about her son's whereabouts and the story has all but disappeared from the local news coverage or from the general consciousness of those who live in this city.
Actually, a friend beat me to it a few weeks ago, at least in the case of Specialist Rivadeneira. Transgender rights activist Pauline Park, who I have known for years and actually lives in the same building as the Rivadeneira family, wrote her reflections on Rivadeneira here.
Nurre: As for Joe Nurre, I don't really remember how I came upon the YouTube video below but I thought it was funny as heck!
And, wait! There's more! Here is Joe Nurre on "safety." And here he is on "Skoal" (thanks Laurie for the vids!).
It was actually while checking to see if there were more Joe Nurre dispatches from Iraq that I also found this YouToube video that shows a news report of a memorial ceremony that was held in his honor.
Miller: Finally there was Corporal Miller. There is a tremendously moving article that appeared this weekend in the Los Angeles Times on how an image of a cigarette smoking soldier that became an emblem of US patriotism and military might in 2002 now represents a more troubling reality for Miller - and conflicting emotions for Luis Sinco, the man who took the photograph (Miller actually talks about his war and post-war experience here and here while Sinco reminisces about the photo and his relationship with Miller as a journalist here).
In some ways, I guess I attended the parade thinking about them and the many other members of the military who are still at war. I might have been among those who opposed the war in Iraq as far back as when the current administration was purposefully marching head-first into it but that doesn't mean that those who have chosen to serve in the military deserve any less respect.
A message from Servicemembers United:In keeping with the general content of this blog, I have touched briefly on military-related stories in the past mostly when they've involved gay Latinos. None of the soldiers above are or were gay to my knowledge and not all of them are Latinos and I probably would have kept my thoughts on them to myself if it wasn't for a message I received this morning. A frequent Blabbeandoreader (and former Advocate magazine cover man) who noticed the Veterans Day post wrote to thank me and to see if I could spread word on an upcoming series of events in Washington, DC, calling for the end of the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" military policy.
The events, being carried out by Servicemembers United in partnership with the Human Rights Campaign, the Log Cabin Republicans, the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network and the Liberty Education Forum, will take place from November 30th through December 2nd and include a ceremony at which one American flag will be placed on the Mall for each service member that has been discharged due to their sexual orientation.
For a full description of events during that weekend and for further information please check out the provisional Servicemembers United webiste here or contact info@servicemembersunited.org .
There are many Latinos serving in the wars and undoubtedly many who also are gay or lesbian. I actually know of a couple such acquaintances currently serving in Iraq and they should certainly be allowed to serve with honor, along with their colleagues. So, yeah, while the DADT policy wasn't necessarily on my mind on Sunday, I am more than happy to pass along the information.
[NOTE: I have corrected the date of the memorial service, see below for more information] I received some sad and unexpected news today: Father John Azzali, a minister at the Sts. Sergius & Bacchus Catholic Parish in Jackson Heights, Queens died of a heart attack on Saturday, Sept. 22nd, according to an e-mail message that I received from the Queens Pride House.
I'd just seen John earlier this month at the 6th anniversary vigil in remembrance of the death my friend Eddie Garzon. At the vigil, I had a chance to briefly chat with him as we waited for Eddie's parents to show up. At the end of the vigil, Father Azzali was also gracious enough to lead those gathered in prayer and to introduce me when the Garzon family asked me to say a few words.
I must have met John when we were both on the founding board of the Queens Pride House back in mid-1990's and also were members of the Queens Lesbian and Gay Democratic Club. He later became chair of the Queens Gays and Lesbians United (Q-GLU) for which he also went to produce a series of weekly public cable television shows on issues facing the borough's gay community.
I took this photo of John on June 4th, 2006, when he was named one of the Grand Marshall at the Queens LGBT Pride Parade, a much deserved honor for a man that devoted his life to the gay community in Queens through his tireless activism and his religious ministry to the LGBT community in the borough.
To those who know a little bit about the borough's entangled and fractured LGBT political world, I will always remember John for rising above the pettiness and posturing. Despite knowing that I have not necessarily been on the good side of the Queens LGBT political forces that be, John never let this keep him from greeting me warmly every time we saw each other and of asking after my partner and about life in general. That might be a small thing but I always thought this was such a loving gesture and something that truly defined who John was to the community and to the borough. I dare say that John was one of the few people that could really get along with everyone in and bring them together.
It had been a while since I had seen John and I am glad that I got a chance to talk to him on September 4th. Sometimes these things really come out of nowhere and I can't fail but feel that we just lost someone that was incredibly important to the LGBT community in Queens.
A public memorial service in honor of John's life will be held on Friday, October 5th at 7pm at the Community Methodist Church (81-10 35th Avenue in Jackson Heights; 7 train local to 82nd Street is the best option, you can also take the R/F/V/E Trains to 74th Street/Roosevelt Avenue). A private funeral service will also take place, no details are available.
In last week´s Gay City News , Duncan Osbourne filed a follow-up story on the proceedings in a Queens courtroom where 39 year-old John McGhee stood accused of murdering a gay Colombian man, 35 year-old Edgar Garzon, in the streets of Jackson Heights in the Fall of 2001.
Last week Christopher Ricalde, a former friend of McGhee´s, took the stand as the prosecution´s star witness and vividly described how McGhee viciously beat up Garzon, causing his head to hit the ground repeatedly, which allegedly caused the massive brain injuries that left Garzon in a coma until his death days later.
Ultimately, McGhee´s attorney, Charles D. Abercombie was aparently successful in raising questions about Ricalde´s credibility:
While Osborne says in the article that the case had gone to the jury, he tells Queerty that the presiding judge declared a mistrial yesterday after the jury became deadlocked on the charges against McGhee.
Duncan tells us, through e-mail, that the Queens District Attorney´s Office has vowed to push for a second trial which might possibly come this fall.
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