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...
OK, one last post-Monserrate-loss post. Steven Trasher was the man on the street for The Village Voice here in Jackson Heights as this week's special NYS Senate election drew near. On election day he posted video of some of the street interaction between campaign volunteers pushing Hiram Monserrate on one side and José Peralta on the other.
On my way to my voting site, I noticed one particular guy - a Peralta supporter - having a back and forth with some Monserrate backers. It wasn't exactly cordial but he was coming up with some great and funny retorts. On campaign day, I sometimes assume that those giving campaign literature are usually not from the neighborhood and recruited by labor unions or some other outside interest. This guy made me smile but I pretty much side-stepped him, and went on to place my vote.
Now, I'm not sure if this guy was labor, or lives in the NYS Senate 13th District, or is gay, but thanks to Steven Trasher at The Village Voice I now know that his name is Tony Martinez and that he specifically told Trasher that his reason for being out there was José Peralta's support for marriage equality.
So, here is to Tony Martinez, who stood on a corner all day long on Tuesday, taking shit from Monserrate supporters all day long, and specifically for the right of gays to get married.
The New York Times is reporting tonight that those of us who live in the New York State 13th Senate District will have a new representative. Democratic Assemblymember José Peralta handily beat former Senator Hiram Monserrate, who ran on an independent line, and Robert Beltrani who ran on the Republican line.
With 94% of the vote, the tally was Peralta with 66%, Monserrate with 27% and Beltrani with 7%.
Coming home tonight, I already had received the news that Peralta had won big tonight. So when I saw this particular piece of literature, it didn't upset me as much as it would have if I had seen it before the election. As a parting shot, though, here is how low Monserrate was willing to go in using marriage equality as a wedge issue.
Google "The Muslim-American Coalition for Morality" and what do you get? Nothing. Zip. Zero. Nada. No helpful contact phone number or e-mail on the flyer, no names mention as to who exactly is "The Muslim-American Coalition for Morality".
There IS a large Muslim population in the borough and there are some fringe Muslim groups that peacefully protest the annual Queens LGBT Pride Parade but, as large an LGBT presence in this district, I would say that the norm is mutual respect between cultures.
Hm, i wonder what that means. I'm sure it has nothing to do with the Monserrate campaign trying to play into Muslim stereotypes as a last ditch effort to gain votes. Surely not. I mean, there MUST be a Queens-based "Muslim-American Coalition for Morality" somewhere even if they are not Google-search-friendly. Right?
UPDATE: 100% of the vote in, according to NY1. Only 14,988 people voted. Peralta received 9,803 (65.41%), Monserrate got 4,098 (27.34%) and Beltrani got 1,087 (7.25%).
I think it's sad that a person can come from outside the community - from Colorado - sending money at the same time as gay leaders from here in New York trying to influence an election in our neighborhood so that they can put a marionette who will vote in favor of gay marriage.
How about others coming in and trying to influence the election in Monserrate's favor? Oh, that seems to be quite alright with Hiram. Here is the ultra-homophobic State Senator Ruben Diaz, Sr. all the way from The Bronx stumping for Hiram in Jackson Heights this afternoon (I couldn't capture his face but you can identify him by the his trademark black hat).
Do you live in Queens' 13th Assembly District? It's not too late to vote against Hiram. Get out there and make sure that Hiram is out of here. Voting ends at 8pm EST.
Nine years ago, in the late summer of 2001, my partner and I hosted a small fundraiser for a city council candidate seeking to become the first openly gay politician elected from the borough of Queens. The fundraiser was memorable because my partner and I were living in a large studio apartment - no bedrooms, just a studio - and because, by happenstance, the day turned out to be probably the hottest day of the summer. Dozens of people went in and out through that door the whole afternoon and, before you knew it, the apartment felt more like a sauna.
The candidate, Jimmy Van Bramer, would lose that year, coming in second to Helen Sears. It would be eight more years until Jimmy was finally elected to the city council, joining Danny Dromm as one of two openly gay people to be elected to the city council from the borough of Queens for the first time.
That very sweaty fundraiser in 2001 was notable in another way: I believe it was the first time I met Hiram Monserrate. Hiram, at the time, was also running for the city council, and he'd come to my apartment to urge people to donate and vote for Jimmy, an openly gay candidate.
Mind you, Hiram was also there as someone seeking to be the first Latino to ever be elected to the city council from the borough of Queens.
WHAT? Yes! The land of Archie Bunker had never elected an openly gay person to political office at the time, nor had it elected an openly Latino person either. This, despite the fact that certain areas of Queens, and certainly Jackson Heights, Corona, Woodside an Elmhurst, had a huge Latino population who had never been represented by someone from their own background.
There was something else in common back then: Both candidates lacked backing from the Queens Democratic party establishment which, at the time, was not necessarily known as pro-gay or immigrant-friendly.
I wasn't sure what to think of Hiram. He was a former US marine as well as a New York City cop. He was running for the Latino vote in the district and not afraid to endorse an openly gay candidate. But being Latino and pro-gay does not necessarily make a great politician by default and so, I waited.
It didn't take much time. Despite the lack of backing from the Queens Democratic party establishment, Hiram emerged victorious and went to work.
Now, I've never considered myself to be a political 'idolater'. I am often weary of politicians and political parties and do not believe that any one politician in particular will be the Lord savior. But I do have a thing for those who challenge the establishment and shake it up and, in that sense, Hiram fit the bill to a T.
As a councilmember, Hiram almost always did the right thing: He spoke up on immigration rights and introduced bills to protect the privacy of undocumented immigrants; he sought funding for HIV prevention agencies in the borough and throughout the city; he addressed overcrowding in housing and issues related to the explosion in street food vendor stands, he [believe it or not] got funding for anti-domestic violence programs, etc. And, on LGBT rights, while he was not necessarily out there championing them all the time, he certainly seemed to get it, backing the right of same-sex couples to marry as far back as that 2001 race.
In 2002, as a newly elected councilmember, I took Hiram to his first gay bar (if you must know, it was The Music Box, on 74th Street and Broadway in Jackson Heights). I had offered to meet at a straight bar but he insisted on meeting me there to talk politics. I remember the bar being empty except for us, the bartenders and a couple of patrons (it was early in the evening). And I remember one of the patrons sending a drink over to Hiram and him getting all jittery and nervous. "Why did he send me a drink?" he asked. "Maybe he likes you," I said. "Nah, you gotta be kidding," he said. "I'm telling you," I said.
To date, he still believes that I planted the guy at the bar as a joke and told him to send the drink. Truth is, Hiram once got hit on at a gay bar in Queens.
Through the years, I wouldn't say we became personal friends but I certainly can say that we developed a mutual respect. On a couple of occasions Hiram inquired about my political interests and whether I, as an openly gay man, wanted to run for the city council (this was before Jimmy and Danny ran last year). He even nominated me, as an openly gay man, to a local district board (I never ended up joining and I'm glad I didn't).
In 2008, on his last year as a councilmember, Hiram's office called me to ask if I would accept an invite for a public recognition of my work as an LGBT advocate at the city council chamber. In a July day probably as hot and humid as that day in 2001, I proudly accepted the recognition. Among the reasons for giving me the honor, as written on the signed plaque I received? My "passionate fight for the recognition of same-sex partnerships."
That was July 17th, 2008. Twenty months ago.
Then came what you already know: Hiram winning a New York State Senate seat, the girlfriend-bashing incident, the senate coup attempt, and his extremely homophobic strategy to claw back into his Senate seat.
Several gay groups, most prominently Fight Back New York, have been mounting a forceful opposition to Monserrate being elected to the Senate once again. I know a few people involved in that particular effort and have backed them in the weeks since they launched the site.
Members of Queer Rising, on the other hand, coming from Manhattan to Queens to attend a local debate and theatrically 'slashing' their face with red lipstick as Hiram spoke might have played well for the angry gays outside Queens but probably ended up feeding into Hiram's current argument that it's gays from outside the district calling the shots.
Here's the good news: Hiram won't win. His floundering campaign has come down to exploiting homophobia for the few votes he will get, a strategy that might work in the district of one of his closest allies, the homophobic Reverend and State Senator Ruben Diaz, Sr., but won't work in Queens. Thankfully, Queens doesn't have as strong a network of homophobic churches and, as the annual Queens LGBT Pride Parade shows, it's more open to LGBT communities than other parts of the city.
Here is the bad news, at least on a personal level. As I said, I might not consider myself to idolize political leaders but Hiram, at one point, was my hero. As a Latino political representative he not only broke the mold of other Latino political leaders in the city who are beholden to nepotism, allegiance to stagnant Democratic powers, and run based only on their ethnic identity, he also showed that he could represent the interests of the borough outside his Latino identity. Few will understand the extreme disappointment some of us feel about his latest turns and I told him as much last week when I wrote to him and said I would not be voting for him.
Hiram was adroit at turning adverse political situations in his favor and to outrun any organized effort to run him out of office. The proverbial cat-of-nine-lives. And I loved him for that. But even a cat has only nine lives and Hiram's seem to have expired. As a former sponsor of marriage equality and supporter of domestic anti-violence programs, I know for a fact that many are not only at a loss for his latest reincarnation but also feeling betrayed.
What truly got to my heart was an opinion piece that ran in the Spanish-language newspaper El Diario La Prensa by Hiram's former chief of staff (and current councilmember) Julissa Ferreras. She has certainly been much closer to Hiram and probably owes her political career to him. And yet, she has been front and center in the publicity campaign by Hiram's opponent, José Peralta.
In that March 8 OpEd piece, Julissa writes (my translation):
There are those who will ask how people who were so close to Hiram Monserrate - people such as I - do not back him in these electoral campaign. The reality is that Monserrate is the one who has abandoned us. With his actions as a man and as a legislator, it is Monserrate who has given us his back.
Truer words haven't been said. Then there is this:
If you read this today and live in the 13th Senate District, please vote for anyone else but Hiram. I will be so ever thankful.
It's part of their annual "Queer Issue" and I am briefly quoted on Jackson Heights (of course, I was also the issue's cover boy! That is, until Rachel Maddow said she wouldn't agree to an interview unless she got the cover story. What a diva!).
I'm not sure I would have bunched up Jackson Heights with the rest of the neighborhoods as a "new" gayborhood (Astoria might deserve that title better than Jackson Heights) but it was nice of Mike Lavers to reach out.
OMG. I think I am turning into Archie Bunker! At issue: I love, love, LOVE living in Jackson Heights, Queens. It's supposedly the most diverse neighborhood in all the United States and, perhaps, the world. And it certainly has one of the largest communities of Indian immigrants in the world - and home to some of the best Indian food restaurants as well (Jai Ho!).
But, as of late, that has also brought entrepreneurship dreams - and not the best of architectural planning. Or stuff that does not fit within the local architectural color of a neighborhood that is supposed to be designated as a historical landmark (and who would blame recent immigrants for being aware of construction codes? The blame lies at the feet of those who provided construction permits).
Anyhoo, before the housing crash, the neighborhood had seen a disturbing trend of houses for sale being bought and torn down to make space for 3 or 4 story buildings with as many apartments as could fit - including a couple of buildings on my block (mostly by Indian-owned companies) .
Not to generalize but most of the recent construction developments have similar features including gaudy silver metal fences and big Hummvie cars. But I have to confess that I did a double-take today when I noticed the new "NO TRESSPASSING" sign posted on the gates of one of the new buildings on my block (see above).
I swear the neighborhood is as safe as it can be. Which makes it a bit annoying that it's Indian immigrants that bring a redneck flavah to the block (Bobby Jindal, anyone?).
As I said, I am Archie Bunkering here. But wouldn't you be if someone posted the above sign in your neighborhood?
Ladies and gentlemen, meet Eddie Garzon. I'm not sure when the 35mm picture above was taken but it looks like the New York City harbor and it must have been close to the time at which the young Colombian man decided to move to the United States to seek new opportunities.
Of course, Eddie is no longer with us. On August 15th, 2001, as he walked home from spending a night at the gay bars of Roosevelt Avenue with friends, he was viciously attacked and left for dead in the dark of night on a peaceful tree-lined block lined with medium-sized apartment buildings. Eddie, who I knew as a friend, would never regain consciousness. He remained in a coma for two weeks and a half - and passed away on September 4th, 2001.
Originally, I was going to write about the memorial mass and vigil that his family organized on Sunday evening to observe the 7th anniversary of his passing (that's Leonor and Armando Garzon, right, during the vigil).
Amazingly, more than fifty people showed up - between friends of the family and those who knew Eddie, political leaders and those who had heard of his death but never met him.
It also turned out to be a cozier affair than the memorials of years past in part because Leonor let those present stand up and tell stories about her son which she said helped her to celebrate her son's life even if she was hearing some of these stories for the first time.
Movingly, at the end of the mass, Leonor turned to her husband and thanked him publicly, for being next to her for so many years, for giving her three such beautiful children and for giving her the joy of being a mother which had sustained her through tragic of circumstances.
In the most heartbreaking moment of the night, Armando stood up and, in a broken voice, thanked those of us who were present and said he had never been able to be as strong as his wife and that sometimes the thought of losing his son was too painful to even vocalize. They embraced each other to applause and tears before we all filed out and joined them in the candlelight vigil. I have more photos of the vigil here.
On 9/11 (2008), a guilty verdict: This morning I woke up to a live broadcast of some who lost loved ones at the World Trade Center reading the names of the lost. As with Eddie's murder, it has been seven years since the attacks and - while some have moved on - I couldn't help but to catch myself becoming emotional and, for lack of a better word, glad that the memorial was being broadcast live as a raw reminder of that awful September morning.
Following Eddie's murder and the 9/11 attacks one memory that remains indelible is that the weekly gay news publication Gay City News (then called LGNY) ran a special double-cover issue: News of Eddie's murder was on one side and a photo of openly gay NYFD chaplain Mychal Judge, who died in the 9/11 attacks, was on the other.
Among all publications, the team behind LGNY/GCN have assiduously, tenaciously followed the case of Eddie's murder over the years, so it was not a surprise that GCN reporter Duncan Osbourne was the first one to e-mail me today to tell me that a jury had just declared John L. McGhee guilty of murder in the 2nd degree earlier today (just as former GCN reporter Michael Meenan - then writing for The New York Times - tipped me off to McGhee's 2006 arrest).
You see, even as the Garzon family was observing the anniversary of their son's death on Sunday, a jury was deciding whether a man was guilty of his murder for the second time (a first trial ended when the judge declared a mistrial). Today, in surprisingly quick fashion, they declared him guilty (see this and this report from Gay City News)
In my posts about Eddie I have tried to be careful not to link up 9/11 and his murder to avoid insulting any family member who mourns those who died in the Twin Towers but today I am re-posting an October 3, 2001 Newsday editorial in its entirety (it's no longer available online):
Don't Let Jackson Heights Gay Murder Be Forgotten
Seven days before thousands of New Yorkers perished at the hands of suicide hijackers, Edgar Garzon met an equally senseless fate. He died from wounds sustained in a bias attack in Jackson Heights. He had been beaten into a coma with a baseball bat or lead pipe three weeks earlier - because he was gay.
The police, who are actively pursuing leads in the case, have not forgotten about Garzon. Let's hope no one else has either, especially public officials whose duty is to remind residents that brutally attacking people because of their sexual orientation is outrageous and unacceptable.
A Colombia native, Garzon settled in Queens' largest gay community in Jackson Heights. Some residents believe that the borough, no matter how tolerant of its wide diversity, is more susceptible to this kind of bias attack than a lot of people might assume.
In fact, another bias killing horrified the gay community 11 years before, when Julio Rivera was beaten to death a block away from where Garzon was attacked in mid-August. That high-profile murder helped galvanize the community and heighten its social and political influence, culminating this year with the opening of the borough's first two gay community centers – in Corona and Woodside - and an openly gay candidate for City Council, Jimmy Van Bramer, finishing second in the multi-candidate District 25 race.
For now, there's a $15,000 reward for information leading to Garzon's killers, including $10,000 from the city. Community leaders also hope to reschedule a town-hall meeting with police officials that was originally planned for Sept. 12, a day after the World Trade Center terror attack.
Gay residents' fear and anxiety are just as real today. So it's up to law enforcement and elected officials to put their minds at ease.
That says anything I could say much better than I ever could. The crime was at risk of being forgotten in the wake of 9/11 and it certainly was thanks to efforts from his family, community leaders, political leaders and police detectives that kept Eddie's memory in their hearts that today's verdict was possible.
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."
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?
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.
[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.
From last night's vigil: Top - The parents of Edgar Garzon lead a crowd in a vigil in their son's memory; 3rd picture down - Armando Garzon, Eddie's father, lights a candle in front of a make-shift memorial; Bottom - 37th Avenue and 77th Street will be renamed :Edgar Garzon Corner" at a public ceremony later this month. Additional photos here.
I was a bit surprised by the turn out at last night's vigil in honor of Eddie Garzon considering the late notice and the fact that it happened on the Tuesday right after labor day weekend. Initially about 15 to 20 people gathered on the corner of Roosevelt Avenue and 80th Street but by the time Eddie's parents showed up some of them had already left. No matter because they were replaced by others and at the end I counted 30 to 40 people. Among them were old friends of Eddie's, a couple of political figures and some who didn't seem connected other than by having read about of the vigil somewhere else.
Whether it was because there seemed to be separate groups or because some weren't sure what was going on or because Eddie's parents did not show up until 8pm or so, everyone seemed to be aimless and at a loss of what to do.
Personally I was feeling a bit awkward for some reason, so - while I guess I could have easily stepped in and take the lead - I just wanted to take a step back this time around. So I was glad when the Garzons appeared with local District Leader Francisco Moya at their side.
Among the other community and political leaders that showed up were New York State Assemblymember Ivan Lafayette and future District Leader (and friend) Alfonso Quiroz. Marlene Forero, who used to be one of Eddie's closest friends and is now a Board Member of the Colombian Lesbian and Gay Association (COLEGA) as a straight ally, brought some of her friends (they have always been there year after year) and other COLEGA members such as Jose Cruz and Juan Carlos Sandoval (and his partner Julio) also showed up. Yoselli Castillo showed up in representation of the Dominican group GALDE.
When I spoke to Leonor Garzon yesterday morning she was a little nervous about how to lead a vigil, the potential number of people that might show up and whether someone would be able to translate for her if there were a lot of people who only spoke English. I said that I'd translate for her if need be, that she only had to worry about the crowd if more than fifty people showed up and, even then, I was sure the local police precinct would take care of it (she had already invited officers from the 115th precinct in Queens to show up).
But once the Garzons showed up, there was no need to worry as everything ran somewhat smoothly. Slowly everyone marched along the same path we took during that 1st vigil, from the Cositas Ricas restaurant, going by Friend's Tavern, turning right on 77th Street and crossing 37th Road and 37th Avenue to the place where Eddie had fallen, his skull fractured, his blood staining the sidewalk.
During the walk, Leonor asked me once again to translate once we got there and to maybe talk about my memories of Eddie. How could I have said no?
The Reverend John Azzali began by offering a prayer and asking for a minute of silence. I then spoke of the day that we marched down the 5th Avenue Heritage of Pride march with the jaw-dropping float that Eddie had designed for COLEGA, a horse with coffee sacs reading "100% Colombian coffee/100% gay Colombian," Colombian folk dancers dressed up like coffee-cups (one of the dancers was at the vigil last night as well).
Leonor then addressed those gathered around a make-shift memorial - signs and photos posted and tied up around the trunk of the tree that was closest to where Eddie had fallen, candles set on the sidewalk illuminating the images - and was at turns mournful, sad, angry and defiant.
She spoke of her son and his friends, of how the unity of the Garzon family had been shattered by Eddie's death and of coming to the United States to make sure that justice was done. Mrs. Garzon also spoke of the recent trial that ended in a hung jury verdict and of how difficult it had been to take the witness stand to talk about her son's life, of how difficult it was going to be to face a jury again come this Fall when the case was brought to court again, and of hoping that it would be the last time she would have to testify about her son to a jury, that the next time there'd be justice.
She also said that she was surprised that there were so few representatives from gay organizations. She said that she knew her son was gay, had been proud to be gay and had lived an openly gay life in the United States, and how it was hard for her to comprehend how a lot of the gay leaders in the city were not there last night. She urged the gay community to remember their own, to support their own, to make sure that justice would come in the future when it came to her son.
Finally she made special mention of those who had shown up and, in particular, Marlene Forero and those who used to know Eddie years ago; the political leaders that showed up ("for them, not all is politics," she said, "sometimes they also show they have a heart"); Father John Azzali; and the homicide unit of the New York Police Department as well as the detectives and officers at the 115th Precinct who were instrumental in capturing suspect John McGhee when all traces seemed to have expired. She specifically thanked Detective Daniel Corey who was unable to be there last night.
Armando, Eddie's stoic dad, then spoke and nearly broke my heart. He was brief but full of emotion as he told the crowd that someone had taken away half his heart by killing his son. How he didn't know whether to be grateful that Eddie was now gone and perhaps at a better place than any of us but of how much it still hurt and how much he missed his son.
I hope I did them justice in translating their words. It's difficult to translate other people's words when there is so much emotion and tragedy behind them.
I was approached by the new commander at the 115th precinct and I thanked her and the many officers that showed up last night for being there. I laughed and told her that I might have criticized the 115th precinct in the past but that they deserved the warm thank-yous that the Garzon's had given them last night.
People mulled around and signed a memorial book. When most of the people had drifted away as well as most of the security detail I found myself talking to a young police officer who arrived late and remained behind as everyone else left. He wanted to know more, saying he'd been shocked to find out a man had been attacked on that street - which he considered among Jackson Heights' safest. So I told him the story and spoke about the gay community in Queens, the gay nightlife and how I didn't necessarily feel that it was a dangerous place to be gay. "Yeah," he said, "to be perfectly truthful, as a police officer I've always thought that the gay bars are safer and seem to have a funner atmosphere than the straight bars in Queens; I always see trouble there but not at the gay bars."
A small conversation after a mournful vigil that for some reason mad me love my neighborhood even more and seemed an appropriate end to yet another year in which a few of us came together to remember Eddie.
A memorial mass is planned for this Thursday, September 6th at the Our Lady of Fatima Church at 25-56 80th Street in Jackson Heights, Queens. Also later this month, the corner of 77th Street and 37th Avenue will be renamed the "Edgar Garzon Corner" in a public ceremony. A specific date has yet to be determined.
In the meantime, Terrance has offered this perspective and reading someone else's thoughts, for some reason, finally brought the full emotions home.
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.
To watch the New York State Assembly debate and vote live go here.
I will be updating this post as warranted throughout the evening (newer updates first):
7:42 PM - Born of immigrant Dominican parents, 39th District Assemblymember Jose Peralta (Queens) speaks movingly about his upbringing in a conservative Catholic family, of being taught to treat others with dignity and respect, of representing the 2nd largest Latino LGBT community in the United States (2nd only to Manhattan's). He invokes his "LGBT brothers and sisters" in supporting a yes vote on the bill.
6:00 PM - Recess is taking a bit longer than expected. According to Capitol Confidential it was taken to "accomodate the Republican minority who wanted to meet" just before the debate. The Confidential also says that support might be in the 80's with some Republicans rumored to be joining the Democratic majority in voting in favor of the bill (76 yay votes are needed for the measure to pass the Assembly).
4:59 PM - House in recess 'til 5:30pm; off the floor The Agenda is reporting that the Assembly Rules Committee has voted 21-8 to advance the bill. Among those votes? ASSEMBLY SPEAKER SHELDON SILVER WHO HAS VOTED IN FAVOR OF MOVING THE BILL FOWARD.
4:21 PM - The oh-so-boring roll call process is being enlivened by - ehem - hunky Democratic Assemblyman Luis M. Diaz from the Bronx who for some reason is sitting in Speaker Sheldon Silver's chair and overseeing the process. Debate on the marriage bill has yet to come up.
The Albany Times-Union Capitol Confidential blog puts the time of debate at 4:00pm and has a memo released by the Catholic Conference stating that, while they dignify us and love us, marriage for the gays would be "disastrous" for society. Big surprise.
The New York Daily News Daily Politics blog says that the debate will open after 3:30pm and says that some conservative State Assembly Republicans see this as a win since they predict that the move to debate such a bill will ultimately reflect bad on Democrats in the Assembly.
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