"I never meant to make fun or belittle human beings who have been marginalized and harassed," Mejía said in a statement. "If that was misinterpreted as an insult, I have no problem offering my apologies and reiterating that it was not, nor is, nor would be my intention; that's not how I behave."
Mejía was referring to the Spanish word "mariconcito" which translates to "little faggot" in English and which he used last week when he joking that a campaign consultant suggested he practice sitting down like a "mariconcito" when doing media appearances if he wanted his poll numbers to increase.
In today's statement Mejía defended himself by saying "mariconcito" was just a commonly used colloquial term which "activists" misinterpreted as being homophobic.
In New York, well-known political commentator Gerson Borrero filed this blistering video op-ed on the Time Warner Cable's New York 1 en Español calling on New York City politicians of Dominican descent to stand up against Mejía's homophobia.
"I think there are Dominican politicians here in New York and in particular those who call themselves 'progressive' who should denounce that one of their presidents has shown up here to sow his hate," Borrero states, adding: "Did someone swallow your tongues? Or are you afraid of Hipólito? He who stays silent grants consent. Don't be cowards! Don't fear the pig! Or are you laying in the same pigsty?"
Last week Mejía also made comments opposing same-sex marriage during an interview with a local Univision affiliate and during a meeting with Latino reverends at the office of New York State Senator Ruben Diaz, Sr. in the Bronx - a leading opponent of same-sex marriage rights.
It's worth noting that at least one of the leading local Dominican politicians Borrero implicitly takes to task for not speaking up about Mejía was seen yesterday at Senator Diaz's office.
That would be New York State Senator Adriano Espaillat who would be a powerful voice against Mejía's homophobia but seems more beholden to Reverend Diaz these days.
At least one person in the Dominican Republic sees Mejía's attempt at an apology to be somewhat of a victory for LGBT rights in the Caribbean nation.
Creo que es la primera vez que un líder político de RD pide disculpas por sus declaraciones. http://t.co/PS8At1Bs39
— Jose Carlos Nazario (@jcnazario) April 8, 2015
"I think it is the first time that a political leader in the Dominican Republic says he is sorry about his declarations" tweeted Jose Carlos Nazario late this afternoon.
Update #1: At least one Dominican LGBT rights organization is saying that the former president has apologized directly to them and wanted to meet with them on Friday. Here is what the organizers of the annual Dominican LGBT pride caravan tweeted tonight:
El expresidente Hipolito hoy nos remitió disculpa y nos solicitó una reunión para este viernes darnos sus excusas a la comunidad LGBT
— Orgullo_RD (@Orgullo_RD) April 9, 2015
"Ex-president Hipólito forwarded us an apology today and asked us for a meeting this Friday to explain his reasons to the LGBT community"
Update #2: Other Dominican presidential candidates are responding to Mejía's homophobic outbursts. Today during a radio interview Luis Abinader said that he was certain he would be his party's candidate for the presidential elections and that he would extend an invitation to Mejía to become one of his campaign consultants but he also said this...
"I believe we should respect the sexual orientation of all Dominicans. There cannot be prejudice, there cannot be any type of limitations or exclusions. That's where I stand."
Update #3: In the wake of Mejía's comments at least one LGBT-rights organization in the Dominican Republic publicly expressed support for the former president. "Hipólito has no ill will towards lesbians and gays," said someone who identified herself as Biemba from the Santo Domingo North Homosexual and Gay Collective when interviewed by radio station z101.
On Thursday, April 9th, Mejía was more than happy to appear at an unrelated protest surrounded with members of the organization carrying rainbow flags as their president asked gays and lesbians to forgive him
New York—“I
am appalled that a former Dominican Republic president and a potential
future presidential candidate has used a derogatory term that is
offensive, inappropriate and hurtful toward LGBT people. President Mejia
needs to apologize to the LGBT community in his
country and here in New York, where he made this unacceptable
statement. Leaders are called to unite people, not divide us. That
includes those who invited him here and stayed silent when
discrimination occured and even worse, laughed at it. I stand with the
LGBT community here, in the Dominican Republic and elsewhere, and I
will not be silent when bigotry shows its ugly face.”
During a
visit to New York City and New Jersey, President Hipólito Mejía made
several remarks against LGBT people, including saying that his campaign
handlers wanted to change several things about him
and tried to convince him to sit "the way a little faggot does." You
can read more about this from Blabbeando blog: http://blabbeando.blogspot.com/2015/04/i-wont-sit-like-faggot-for-poll-numbers.html
Last week former Dominican Republic president Hipólito Mejía brought a new bid for the Caribbean nation's presidency to the United States. I hadn't paid much attention until NY1 Noticias played a clip of statements he made while in New York citing the Bible and saying he opposed same-sex marriage.
"I call bread 'bread' and wine 'wine.' The other day [Senator Ruben Diaz, Sr.] asked my opinion regarding same-sex marriage," Mejia says, "Be fruitful and multiply? There is no way you can do it that way!" meaning gays cannot procreate and, hence, should not be able to marry.
Neither the statements nor the setting were a surprise. Mejía enjoys a strong relationship with Senator Diaz, perhaps the leading Latino anti-marriage equality voice in the nation, and has allowed the Senator to host previous press conferences.
But what may seem to be an impromptu response to an issue raised at the House of Diaz apparently is a campaign speaking point. Speaking to a much wider audience on the local NY/NJ Univisión affiliate Mejía reiterated his opposition to marriage equality using the same terms.
"There is no way you can impregnate your [same-sex] male partner, there is no way, or your female partner."
At the Diaz event Mejía admitted he once confronted gay issues with overt homophobia. "In the past I used to have a have a deadly antagonistic stance [against gays]" he says, "Nowadays I can even laugh about it."
If that was in the past, he seems to have forgotten about it the next day when he made a campaign appearance in New Jersey.
Standing before a campaign flag that promises "equality," Mejía doesn't mention same-sex marriage but jokes that his campaign handlers wanted him to wear a wig during media appearances if he wanted poll numbers to improve. Then he says: "There are people who can change everything about you, even the way you sit down" and says they tried to convince him to sit "the way a little faggot does." The place erupts in laughter.
The fact is that the Dominican Republic is one of the few Latin American nations that bans same-sex marriage in its constitution so all this talk about being a bellwether against gays getting married is just pure political demagoguery. It is also something being used by religious forces in the Dominican Republic to rile up opposition to U.S. ambassador James "Wally" Brewster who is openly gay and married.
Late last month Ambassador Brewster spoke at a gathering of openly gay U.S. ambassadors in Washington, D.C., and movingly described the attacks he and his partner Bob Satawake had received from Dominican evangelicals since their arrival. While the current government has been mostly mum on the issue, they certainly have backed and supported Brewster behind the scenes.
But in freely raising the marriage equality issue during his campaign visit to the United States, Mejía is sending a clear message to Dominican religious conservatives: Vote for me and I'll make the gay go away.
Updates:
New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito reacts:
My friend Scott Rose brought this to my attention yesterday and I find it both desperate and hilarious.
As the battle for marriage equality in the United States winds down and the anti-gay National Organization for Marriage slips into irrelevance, the organization has been desperately trying to rally participants for one last hurrah: The so-called "2014 March for Marriage" scheduled for June 19th.
As in years past, NOM's president Brian Brown has turned to New York State Senator Ruben Diaz, Sr. as his savior having shown proven ability to rally thousands of people to previous anti-gay rallies.
From one of Brian Brown's increasingly desperate newsblasts:
I just recently got off the phone with my good friend, New York State
Senator, Rev. Ruben Diaz, who will be speaking at the March again this year. He told
me that he plans to bring down over 100 buses to the March from the Bronx this year!
He is calling it the "Second Annual Bus Vigil to Washington." He plans to depart New
York at 4:00 am
in a spiritual convoy of activists coming to the nation's capital to
defend marriage! That's over 5,000 people — overwhelmingly
Latino and African-American constituents — that a single political and
spiritual leader wants to bring to Washington DC this summer!
Diaz is calling it the "Second Annual Bus Vigil to Washington" because in his pitches for the rally he actually never mentions the NOM or the word "marriage" for that matter.
Excerpts:
I'd like to invite you to participate in the "Second Vigil on Wheels to Washington." We will be traveling to Washington, DC - the nations capital - to testify and say that we are still a powerful church... We are offering any pastor or organization that wishes to accompany us to Washington a bus completely free of charge. Each bus holds 55 passengers and we will send the bus to any place you tell us to do so... The bus will pick you up there, will bring you to Washington and will bring you back to the same spot. And you won't have to pay for a single thing... Join us! Take advantage of the opportunity. Ask for your bus! Fill the bus! And let's go to Washington! Let's go on a trip! Visit the monuments in Washington and testify that Jesus heals and saves and is the King we await.
That's right. Reverend Diaz is selling the free bus rides to DC as an opportunity for people to visit the various monuments throughout the city. A wonderful opportunity for members of Latino churches throughout the area who might not get a lot of chances to visit DC.
This is not the first time Diaz has rallied people to anti-marriage equality demonstrations using deception. At previous rallies I have heard church leaders say that they had no idea they were being taken to such a rally and I have heard other religious leaders that they felt pressured to participate or risk losing the Senator's support.
But this is the first time Diaz has been caught at it so openly. Hilarious.
By the way, as long as you can fill a bus with 55 occupants, Senator Diaz says he will send the bus wherever you want it to go and transport everyone to DC. All you need to do is call (718) 991-3161 and ask for Reverend Samaris.
NYS Senator Ruben Diaz, Sr. reveals long-shot Democratic mayoral candidate Erick Salgado donated $4,000 for buses carrying New Yorkers to anti-gay rally in Washington, DC.
In a crowded political race it's not surprising to see candidates look for every opportunity to sell their message and in New York City that means finding ways to reach an incredibly diverse population not only in terms of ethnicity but also religion.
Of course, that sometimes means alliances with religious leaders and attending church services and events with large congregations.
In past years New York State Senator and Pastor Ruben Diaz, Sr. has shown the ability to bring large numbers of people to rallies against marriage equality here in New York as well as Washington, DC. So does that mean that his demonstrated power to influence a segment of the community is too rich an opportunity to pass up for a politician if Diaz invites you to an event?
OK, I'll give you this. Perhaps if Diaz himself pushed you to run as a mayoral candidate - as Diaz did with long-shot Democratic mayoral candidate Erick Salgado - you might feel obliged to attend.
But what if most mayoral candidates had no issue whatsoever in accepting the invite?
Well, that's what happened on April 13th when Diaz invited all mayoral candidates to a banquet celebrating the 25th year anniversary of Hispanic Ministers of New York Organization - the same organization that pulled together all those anti-marriage equality rallies - and actually got all but two of the leading mayoral candidates to attend.
Even better, for most of the ceremony Diaz had Brian Brown of the National Organization for Marriage sit to his right as a guest of honor.
Just a couple of weeks earlier Diaz had worked with the ministers' organization and NOM to send more than thirty buses full of people to protest against marriage equality outside the Supreme Court during the DOMA and Prop 8 debate.
U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer leading a chant of "Si Se Puede!"
Present at the April 13th banquet were NYS Comptroller Tom
DiNapoli, Bronx Assemblymembers Marcos Crespo and Luis Sepulveda, NYS Republican Committee Chairman Ed Cox and, of course, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. - the Senator's son - who came out for marriage equality during the same week his father was riling against it in Washington.
Also among attendees were U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer promoting immigration reform, Republican mayoral candidates Joe Lhota and John Catsimatidis, independent mayoral candidate Adolfo Carrión and Democratic mayoral candidates John Liu, Bill Thompson and Erick Salgado.
That's a whopping six of the leading eight mayoral candidates with Christine Quinn and Bill De Blasio being the only ones not to show up (Full diclosure: I have publicly backed Quinn for mayor but have supported Bill Thompson in past elections and might have considered backing John Liu if it wasn't for some unanswered questions about his former and current fundraising teams).
Of course, attending an event like this rarely speaks for a candidate's view on certain issues. In fact every mayoral candidate who attended the event except for Salgado supports marriage equality but I am often asked why Diaz remains in power after all these years of demagoguing against the LGBT community and, unfortunately, here is the answer: He gets a pass by those in power who should know better.
NOM expenditures: As for Brian Brown, the event invite did not mention he would be in attendance but I find it hard to believe that people like Schumer were in any way unaware of the pro and anti-marriage equality rallies in DC just days earlier and knew exactly who NOM was as he sat next to Brian. To mayoral candidates who might not have known who he was it would not be a shocker that someone like him would be a guest of honor at the event fully knowing of Diaz's views about gays and lesbians.
The event did break some news: In a Spanish-language speech Diaz made at the end of the ceremony after most if not all of the mayoral candidates had left. As famously guarded as NOM is about the money they spend, Diaz revealed that NOM had spent $60,000 dollars on 30 buses used to transport hundreds of people to Washington, DC, for an anti-marriage equality rally outside the Supreme Court in March.
Diaz also said that NOM had brought a check for $25,000 to the banquet as a donation to the several radio stations used by the Hispanic Ministers of New York Organization to spread their anti-marriage equality message.
Another surprise: Diaz's mayoral candidate Erick Salgado also donated $4,000 for two additional buses to the anti-gay rallies in DC.
Direct quote from Diaz:
I wanted to let you know that for the march we did to Washington, thirty buses two out of 32 buses were paid by Erick Salgado - and thirty of them, the ones we ran from here, were paid by Brian Brown. All those buses. Each bus cost $2,000 and multiply thirty buses by two and you have $60,000 spent on the "Vigil on Wheels to Washington"
Diaz also said that all the previous rallies had been funded by NOM.
I took the liberty of posting an edited clip of the two hour event. Click on it to open it in a separate window and it will be easier to read my translated annotations. It must be said that by the time Brian spoke at the end most if not all of the mayoral candidates had left. Here is a link to a full version of the clip including speeches by each of the mayoral candidates who attended.
PHOTO (Screen Capture): NYS Democratic Senator Ruben Diaz, Sr. reacting to former Dominican Republic president Hipólito Mejia's "birther" comments about U.S. President Barack Obama at a New York Hispanic Clergy Organization gathering on April 4th, 2012.
*** NOTE: A few updates at the bottom of this post ***
On May 20th citizens of the Dominican Republic will be going to the voting booths to elect their next president and hence, in early April, the two leading contenders made their way to New York to make their pitch to the city's sizable Dominican population.
Former Dominican president Hipólito Mejia, who is vying for a second chance on the presidential chair, was the only candidate to accept an invite by homophobic Democratic State Senator Ruben Diaz, Sr. to attend a gathering of his New York Hispanic Clergy Organization in the Bronx on April 4th.
The love fest got to an inauspicious start when Senator Diaz introduced Mejia using the name of his main opponent Danilo Medina to nervous laughter from attendees. He was quickly corrected and the meeting went ahead.
According to Diario Libre, Mejia said that his campaign was battling "Satanic elements" and argued that while the economic situation of the Caribbean island was dire, the greatest challenge it faced was a "moral crisis".
As attendants shouted "Llegó papá"*, Mejia stated that as president he would never allow gays to marry or weaken the island's strict anti-abortion laws.
"We cannot walk around with warm diapers since Hipólito is the only one who has respected and maintained a well-defined and clear Christian mission and a platform that guarantees respect of Biblical and moral values that are part of our doctrine," said Diaz.
The event received little if any attention from local English-language media but was front-page news in the Dominican Republic. Since then, though, several videos of the event have surfaced on YouTube and one of them in particular has drawn intense criticism.
Racial politics in the Caribbean island can be a touchy issue and Mejia stepped right into it by making what seemed to be a throw-away remark about U.S. President Barack Obama:
If Obama who came from Africa and grew up over there can become the President, why can't any of you reach as high considering you have a more amusing [ethnic] mix than Obama's?
Mejia's embrace of the so-called "birther" fallacy of those who refuse to acknowledge or believe that Barack Obama was born in the United States drew immediate condemnation in the island all across the political landscape. And what, pray tell, does Mejia mean by referring to others in the room as having a "more amusing [ethnic] mix than Obama's"?
Once the videos surfaced, the reaction was swift. On April 12th, 31 of the 32 members of the Dominican Republic Senate signed an official apology to the President of the United States and called Mejia's statements about Obama "unfortunate" and "offensive". The only Dominican Senator who voted against the measure was a member of the Christian Social Reform Party.
According to reports, some of the other NYC political leaders at the event were NYS Senator Adriano Espaillat, NYC Councilmembers Ydanis Rodriguez and Fernando Rodriguez and NYS Assemblymembers Guillermo Linares, Nelson Castro and Marcos Crespo.
A couple of those who were said to attend the meeting are long-time Diaz allies but it is disappointing to see others Latino politicians who are progressive on LGBT isues at the event.
So far I am not aware of a single statement from them denouncing the homophobic tenor of the even nor Mejia's "birtherism".
Looking at an excerpt of the video, though, you'll find it hard to see any indication that Diaz thought there was anything wrong with Mejia's statement.
* Yes, "Llegó papá" as in "Daddy's arrived!" which is the campaign's theme as well as Mejia's Twitter profile name.
---> April 19th: NYS Senator Adriano Espaillat, one of the elected officials present at the event, has distanced himself from Mejia's comments. His spokesman, Ibrahim Khan, released the following statement to The Politicker:
There’s simply no place in politics for this kind of a remark. Senator
Espaillat strongly objects to such language. As an Obama delegate in the
upcoming Democratic Convention, Senator Espaillat looks forward to
campaigning for President Obama and helping him get reelected.
---> April 19th: The Dominican Republic's National Progressive Force party has released an attack ad against Mejia accusing him of shaming the nation on foreign soil and slamming him for being "racist, uneducated and irresponsible". The ad is currently running on all the national commercial television networks.
Photo: El Diario La Prensa CEO and Chief Editor Rossana Rosado on New York 1 en Español's "Pura Politica".
I've been on such a light blogging schedule as of late that I haven't even written about passage of the marriage equality law in New York State last month or the legal marriages between same-sex couples that began last week. I have no doubt, though, that readers of this blog caught wind of the developments elsewhere.
But there remain some interesting angles that haven't been covered or have gone under-reported in English language media and the following story is one of them.
Last April, as foes of marriage equality in New York ramped up efforts to convince state legislators not to bring a marriage equality bill up for a debate, news filtered out that New York State Senator and Reverend Ruben Diaz, Sr. (D-Bronx) would be headlining a rally in his home borough in opposition of the bill. The rally, which I attended on May 15th, wasn't the first or last rally Diaz would lead on the issue, but something new emerged: A call to boycott the leading Spanish language newspaper in New York City, El Diario La Prensa, over their long-standing editorial support for marriage equality.
News of the boycott first surfaced in a Spanish-language Dominican Republic newspaper in which the Reverend promised that it would lead to a single-day newspaper stand sale drop o 20,000 copies. Here is what Diaz said about the boycott at the Bronx rally...
Diaz implied to the crowd that it was God who ordered the boycott (at the :54 second mark):
Our God has indicated to me to ask you to send a message to El Diario La Prensa. The fifty cents that you spend in buying the newspaper - with those fifty cents you are contributing to the promotion and the promulgation of marriage between a man with a man and a woman with a woman and abortion. And you are a son of God... You are a daughter of God... You are child of God. Starting tomorrow Monday, I am calling on all of you not to dare give fifty more cents to El Diario La Prensa. Kick them out! It's out they go! Out! Out! Out!
I must be jaded and gotten used to all the other homophobic religious nuttery that took place that day because the call to censure the press in the name of God was one of the most chilling things I heard on that day. Days earlier, Diaz - true to his disregard of the separation of church and state - posted a diatribe against El Diario on his Senate website in which he directly quoted the Bible ("He who is not with us, is against us - Luke 9:50"). On May 28th, Diaz also appeared on New York 1 en Español's weekly political show "Pura Política" defending his attack on freedom of expression to the show's host Juan Manuel Benitez (at the 4:23 minute mark):
JUAN MANUEL BENITEZ: This freedom of expression, to say what you want to say, you don't extend it to El Diario La Prensa? You've been organizing a boycott based on the editorial content of El Diario La Prensa because they back same-sex marriage... SEN. RUBEN DIAZ, SR.: And abortion, and abortion, because... JMB: So you want to silence El Diario La Prensa's freedom of expression. DIAZ: No, I want to be granted equality. I want to be granted equality. JMB: And what is equality. Which is the equality. DIAZ.: Equality means that El Diario La Prensa doesn't cover any of our activities. They don't cover our children's parades... JMB: They did cover your rally from a couple of weeks back... DIAZ: Nooooo, oh, man, it was just miniscule coverage. They don't cover the Day of the Pastor, they don't cover religious activities, they don't cover a thing. They only cover... JMB: Perhaps they only cover what they consider to be newsworthy... DIAZ: So us... the Evangelical people don't have the right... We don't have to spend fifty cents to buy it. That doesn't... that doesn't... we are in America! JMB: You are taking away their freedom of expression. DIAZ: Ah! So is it an attack... for... for... for us to inhibit our right to express our position. Give me equality, and let's say we'll be on even keel. I'm not saying 'Do not write about that'. What I'm saying is: Why is it that you write only about that side... and don't write about this side. Journalism should be impartial. Which is what I just told you about Blabbeando.
Yes, Diaz plugged this blog as an example of the 'fair and balanced' coverage he should get at El Diario. Sigh.
Diaz, of course, lost big time when it came to blocking the recognition of marriage equality in New York State. Question is, having pulled out all his forces to hurt the sales of El Diario La Prensa, did his supposedly God-mandated boycott work?
For an answer let's go back to Friday's edition of "Pura Politica" in which El Diario La Prensa's long-time Chief Operating Officer and Editor Rossana Rosado sat down to publicly address the issue for the first time. I have a feeling you might be surprised...
In the clip Rosado discusses the Diaz boycott somewhat reluctantly and seemingly hesitant to give it more publicity than it's worth. She explains why they chose not to address it directly initially and also reveals, for the first time in a public venue, why passage of the marriage equality law in New York State hit so close to home. Here is the full transcript (I've highlighted key passages):
JUAN MANUEL BENITEZ: An elderly couple made history on Sunday when they became New York City's first gay marriage. Phyllis Siegel, a 77 year old retired librarian, and her wife Connie Kopelov, an 84 year old retired activist and labor leader, sealed their 23-year old relationship by getting married - legally. Hundreds of same-sex couples did the same and have continued doing so all week long. This historic event and the debate that preceded and led to it was followed closely by the oldest Spanish-language publication in the city, EL DIARIO LA PRENSA. With us, today, is their Editor and Executive Director ROSSANA ROSADO, many thanks for being with us [RS: Thank you for the invitation]. ROSSANA, why this issue and the way it was covered by EL DIARIO and, in particular - to get started - how did you experience the news at EL DIARIO LA PRENSA once it became a reality on Sunday...
RS:It's not the first time. People seemed to take it as something unique but at EL DIARIO we have spent years backing gay marriage. It wasn't something new. We have always been in favor of civil rights - and that aspect of the debate - and I think it became news because EL DIARIO's stand became so widely known. But we - as Latinos and New Yorkers - have always have always backed marriage rights for gays.
JMB: But you must know that there is the perception - in this country and in this city - that the Hispanic community is very conservative, very religious, and is not in favor of homosexual marriage. How is the experience at an institution such as EL DIARIO LA PRENSA - which has existed for almost a century - that goes against the grain of what people think the Hispanic community is like.
RR: Well, nevertheless, we have always been a very inclusive community. If someone says that they are against gay marriage based on their religious beliefs they more than likely have a gay son, brother or cousin who opposes [their view]. In other words, as a community we are a little more complex than that. Conservative? Perhaps. But we always have... - for example - the gays have always marched at at the Puerto Rican Parade. We never had the issues, for example, that have existed with the St. Patrick's Parade. And... look, we have never seen any backlash from our readers or public as a reaction to our editorial position or the support we gave it on this occasion.
JMB: And what many people have been asking: Did you sit down at the editorial room in EL DIARIO LA PRENSA and said "We'll go along... we will choose this path... we will support homosexual marriage openly and will we do it in such and such a way"? In other words, was there such a meeting? Was it decided that this would be the editorial line?
RR:Well, as I said, our editorial line isn't something new. We have always had it. I believe our editorial line is consistent with our support for civil rights, immigration rights, social justice, so it's part of our trajectory of fighting for rights we believe to be civil rights. So it's not only a religious debate. If one believes certain rights are civil rights, how can you be opposed to marriage rights... that doesn't make sense. And for me, this is consistent with the trajectory we have set; what could be described as a progressive policy.
JMB: Sunday, June 26th, was a very special day for you professionally and personally. Two days earlier, Governor Cuomo had signed the marriage equality law for which your newspaper fought so hard and in an editorial you titled "Because in the End, It's Love that Counts", you finally broke your silence and wrote, in part: "This newspaper was the target of a boycott based on our support for what we consider to be an issue of civil rights, but the end result of the matter were the calls of support from our family and activists throughout the tri-state area; many of them don't know how to speak or read Spanish and, despite this, they wanted to subscribe to EL DIARIO to insure and protect our editorial independence."
As a business woman, separate from your role as a journalist, what was your experience with this boycott over the editorial stand in favor of gay marriage?
RR: EL DIARIO is what we call in English a 'single-copy' newspaper: It's a newspaper that is sold every day - during ninety-eight years - every day, on the newspaper stand. In other words, we do not offer a subscription rate. So for me it's like a daily survey, whether people will buy it or won't buy it. Therefore we didn't feel the boycott in an economic way. Nevertheless, those who called for a boycott brought a lot of attention to EL DIARIO and, as a result, we seem to have new fans who didn't know us before - who also thought it was something new, that it was a novelty - our support for gay marriage - which it wasn't. And it was also an overwhelming reaction, for them to call us and say 'We don't read in Spanish but we want to subscribe so this boycott won't have an impact on EL DIARIO or do any damage to EL DIARIO; so we gained - through Facebook and Twitter - we gained more.
JMB: But before you received the show of support, I imagine you as a business woman, as the leader of an organization that provides employment to many families, deep inside you must have been worried. You might have said 'Well, we might have to rethink this issue, this stand, this editorial line...'
RR: Neither I nor Erica Gonzalez who is the Editor... we never worried about an economic impact or... we understood and always felt we were on the right side and... I never worried at any moment. What could they do? Stop buying EL DIARIO? We cannot do the work we do - in terms of our causes and the support we provide - we cannot do it on the basis of public surveys. We cannot do it on the basis of threats or the fear-mongering of losing our advertisers. We wouldn't do it on other issues and we won't do it for this issue. So we didn't feel fear, we just said "OK, let's see what happens...'. The strategy was to ignore it and, if there was an impact, to address it later. And there wasn't.
JMB: Because we haven't yet spoken about the person who called the boycott, but he was here a few weeks ago and this is what he said...
NYS SENATOR RUBEN DIAZ, SR.: I want them to grant me equality... JMB: And what is equality; which equality... RD.: Equality means that EL DIARIO LA PRENSA doesn't cover any of our activities. They don't cover our children's parades... JMB: They did cover your rally from a couple of weeks back... RD: Nooooo, oh, man, it was just miniscule coverage. They don't cover the Day of the Pastor, they don't cover religious activities, they don't cover a thing. They only cover...JMB: Perhaps they only cover what they consider to be newsworthy...RD.: So us... the Evangelical people don't have the right... We don't have to spend fifty cents to buy it. That doesn't... that doesn't... we are in America! JMB: You are taking away their freedom of expression.RD: Ah! So is it an attack... for... for... for us to inhibit our right to express our position. Give me equality, and let's say we'll be on even keel. I'm not saying 'Do not write about that'. What I'm saying is: Why is it that you write only about that side... and don't write about this side.
JMB: Your reaction...
RR: OK, look. There are people in our community who not only dress like a cowboy but also act as such. They want everybody to do whatever they want them to do. They want to impose their morals. In Puerto Rico we say they preach morality in their underwear, in other words, they want to preach morality. I'll say that if that religious sector would like to 'protect marriage' why don't they attack divorce - because many of them are divorced. I got married 21 years ago, been with the same man, I've been loyal, and I'm in love with him and I believe in marriage. So I'm not about to deny someone else the right to marry. If they want to use the power of their religious congregations for the public well-being why won't they attack absent parents, those who do not pay child support; why won't they attack domestic violence. Why won't they use their alleged power to boycott those organizations, city and state agencies, or corporations that do so much damage to our families. Why won't they use that energy in that way. I believe that we - both in our community and our newspaper - we should celebrate love in all its forms.
JMB: With that response, it's obvious that you feel personally affected. As we said earlier, all these few weeks have also marked a very special moment for you...
RR: Yup. Because one of the first gay weddings will take place at my home... it will be between our friends Nelson and Juan who have spent 36 years together and who will get married - at last! - they'll have the right to do it in this state. We - my husband and I - are very happy that it will happen at our home.... and also because this year was the year in which my daughter revealed to us that she is gay - and she is 17 years of age. And for her and her generation - her friends, her cousins, our family - everyone has given her their full support. There has not been a single negative reaction. I think that's... that's the world we should pass on to our children so that they won't have to suffer, for example, through what Juan and Nelson or my uncles or my relatives went through.
[COMMERCIAL]
JMB: New York became the 6th state in the country to allow these unions. One thing is certain, these marriages do not enjoy legal recognition on the national level since they are not recognized by the federal government. Why? It's due on a law signed by President Bill Clinton in 1996 named "The Defense of Marriage Act". It defines marriage as the exclusive union between a man and a woman and allows the states to deny the legal recognition of homosexual unions if they wish to do so. Thanks to this law many bi-national marriages are in danger since foreigners married to U.S. citizens do not enjoy immigration benefits. President Barack Obama thinks this law is unconstitutional and has asked his team to stop defending it in the courts. On his part, the general attorney of the State of New York, Eric Schneiderman filed a petition of unconstitutionality this week which might provoke a chain-reaction leading to the law's revocation. ROSSANA, do you think this will take place soon. In other words, New York is the 6th state and not the 1st, but perhaps it has more visibility than perhaps all the other states that allow homosexual marriage in the country. Do you think there'll be a chain-reaction and that a great majority of the states will slowly begin to recognize homosexual marriages?
RR: Well, I think New York is decisive due to its size and, of course, because we as New Yorkers continue to believe we are the center of the world [laughs]. But New York does have a large representation of all groups and all ideologies so it does have a larger impact, particularly on what happens in Washington. So, yes, the fact that it happened in New York, the fact that we have people like Schneiderman and Cuomo who have [political] aspirations beyond New York is important as well and I believe that, yes, we will see it. And I hope so because I want to stop dealing with this issue and deal with others I believe are much more important in terms of day to day life: The economy, job creation and other issues that need to be resolved.
JMB: Because, on a deeper level, do you think it will take a long time for the community in general to get used to other family models? Because defenders of traditional marriage say that they defend the institution of marriage as that of a father, a mother and their children - but when it comes to the truth that model doesn't...
RR ...it's that it's been a long time since that model actually existed. I believe the figure is that more than 60% of today's families in the United States are not like that traditional family. My children - my daughter is 17 years old, my son is 20 years old - and from the time they were little, they were always in the minority as being from a family that had a father and a mother, in other words, a nuclear family. The topic of conversation during the school lunches was divorces, it was what other children did when they went to visit their [separated] parents. That [family] structure had already changed a decade ago, in other words, more than a decade ago. Sometimes when these debates come to the surface that's the focus and the people who talk about it do it as if this was something new. But take a look at research and the statistics: The concept of "family" already changed years ago. And what about children raised by grandparents? Extended families? We are in an era in which that nucleus already changed a long time ago.
In other words, just as Reverend Diaz' decades-long opposition to marriage equality in New York led to ultimate failure, his late-game call to boycott El Diario also seems to have failed miserably as well. Good job, Reverend Diaz! Please keep up on riling against El Diario since it worked so well for them!
And, by the way, if you've read this far, I also urge you to read Rossana Rosado's full OpEd piece on this issue by clicking here.
Photo: Vital shows the love she has for her girlfriend. The two got engaged on May 10, 2010.
Imagine loving someone so much you want to let her know by tattooing a message of love on yourself. Imagine wanting to spend your lifetime with that person and celebrating it by becoming engaged, hoping against hope that some day you'll be able to marry her.
Then imagine someone who has never even met you tell you that your relationship is "unnatural". That it is similar to bestiality. That it means that you have rejected Jesus. That you may very well go to Hell. Worst, imagine that person is in political office and has spent years trying his darnest to keep you from getting married.
I don't exactly remember when and why I started following Vital on Twitter. I just know that she comes off as savvy, funny, rough-around-the-edges and immensely protective of the love she has for her partner. But I do remember being on Twitter sometime in mid-May when I saw Vital send out a very specific Tweet.
I mention this now because, as of late, New York State Senator Ruben Diaz has been ratcheting up the allegations that he is being victimized and using Vital's tweet as a prime example. Case in point: On Wednesday, New York Daily News political reporter Celeste Katz brought it up in her online blog as follows (italics mine)
Diaz said he and his family have received death threats due to his vocal stance on keeping gay marriage unlawful in New York State. They were reported to the FBI and Albany police, he said. "We are in America; we are supposed to agree to disagree and respect each other's positions," the senator said. On May 10, tweets by opponents of Diaz's May 15 rally included one in which the sender expressed the desire to sexually assault Diaz's daughter.
"Sexually assault Diaz's daughter". Hm, is someone really on the look-out for Diaz' daughter? Does someone want to sexually assault her? Does it merit an investigation by the FBI or the Albany police?
While the tweet in question might be vulgar and is certainly open to interpretation, it never mentions the word assault or rape, nor does it portray intent. In other words, it doesn't say "I am going to do [this and that]...".
Here is the uncensored version: "Is it wrong that I wanna track down Ruben Diaz daughter and fuck the shit out of her on tape, then show it to him?"
Shocking. Yes. Unfortunate, yes. A threat. I differ with Diaz on that one. In any case, I thought I would reach out to Vital and talk to her about that specific tweet because I firmly believe she is unfairly being targeted. Here is our exchange:
Blabbeando: Hey Vital, thanks for allowing me to interview you. Let's start with that now infamous Tweet you sent on May 10th. Can you tell me what was going through your mind when you posted that tweet and if you meant as a threat to the Senator or anyone in his family?
Vital: Well when this tweet was posted, I was extremely upset about all the statements he was making against the gay community. As a woman in a relationship with another woman, everyday presents several obstacles to overcome. We have people pointing and staring at us out in the street, as well as people pre-judging our character based on stereotypes alone. The statement I said was not in anyway intended to be directed to Rev. Ruben Diaz. It was more a question to my Twitter followers.
I guess subconsciously I was really wondering what would Rev. Ruben Diaz do if it was his daughter that was engaging in sexual relations with another woman? Would he accept it? How about if she was attacked verbally by an outsider and her character was being questioned because of her sexual orientation?
And, to answer the last part of your question, as I previously said, that tweet was not specifically sent to Rev. Ruben Diaz. I did not send it to him to his Twitter account, his e-mail or his home addressl. I posted it on my Twitter timeline, for my followers. Sen. Diaz was not one of my followers and it is a misfortune that he did see it and thus took it as a personal threat.
Blabbeando: That day, Senator Diaz posted your Tweet on his Senate page as an example of a "vicious threat" against him and included your Twitter handle as well as that of one of your followers who re-twitted it. I know you had no idea how public your comment had become because I was the first one to alert you and, when I did, you told me you had no idea your messages could be seen by anyone else on Twitter but the people who followed your timeline. What was your initial reaction when you found out it had gone public? What do you think about it now, almost a month later?
Vital: WOW, I could never forget that day when you called me and told me about it. I was mortified. I was afraid and mostly I was embarrassed. Why? Because he made it seem like that one comment represents the whole LGBTQ community, when in fact it DOESN'T. That comment was nothing premeditated and was quickly said with out a thought. Unlike the statements Rev Ruben Diaz has made not worrying whose feelings were hurt or whose character he defamed. Now, a month later, I've definitely learned my lesson and, in fact, I have become very choosey with what I do say via Twitter.
Blabbeando: I know you were aware that Senator Diaz was organizing a rally against marriage equality in the Bronx and that you wanted to join some of us who went there to counter his opposition to our rights. But I also know that you couldn't make it for a very special reason. Can you tell more about the reason that you weren't able to join us?
Vital: Yes - I wanted to make that rally so bad! But I was launching the first ever event for a group I run that same weekend and I couldn't change the dates. My partner and I stayed out in the streets for 24 hours and went homeless as an effort to raise money for homeless lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer New York City youth. It began on May 14th at 2pm and ended May 15th at 2pm. We were exhausted, soaked and dirty; however, it was a very humbling experience and I'm happy to have done it to raise awareness and money for a special homeless shelter!
Blabbeando: Your Tweet went out more than three weeks ago and yet, Senator Diaz continues to bring it up as an example of the threats he allegedly has been getting. Some national right-wing anti-gay organizations such as the National Organization for Marriage are just now picking up on it and are parroting whatever Senator Diaz is telling them about it. Should you be portrayed as the very face of intolerance and violence that the Senator and his allies are trying to pump up in an effort to portray themselves as victims?
Vital: I undoubtedly regret wording that Tweet as I did, and I obviously did not mean what I said, however, I wanted to put into perspective how Rev. Ruben Diaz would feel if his own child was involved in a homosexual act. I in no way meant that as a threat, but I did speak out of emotions rather than use my common sense- so for that I do apologize.
As for whether I should be the very face of intolerance? ABSOLUTELY NOT. I do not believe in violence, I believe that reason does not yell, and I believe that peaceful agreements go further than anything else. In any LGBTQ events that I have been a part of, it has been peaceful marches, as I stated prior, the homeless project, making and selling T-Shirts in an effort to raise money for homeless shelter for LGBTQ youth, so as you can see none of these are representative of "the face of intolerance and violence." In fact I am the complete opposite of what they are trying to portray, I am one to support and spread love to everyone, indiscriminately.
Blabbeando: Thanks so much, Vital, for letting me engage you in this conversation.
Last week, I spent time translating an interview Diaz did with Juan Manuel Benitez, host of "Pura Politica" on New York 1 Noticias in which the Senator said he was at a loss in understanding why he was the focus of so much resentment from the gay community. During one particular exchange, Benitez kept insisting that it shouldn't be surprising that if the Senator had made his opposition to LGBT rights the number one issue of his political career, members of the LGBT community might feel hurt by his comments and actions. The way Benitez put it to Diaz was "You can't throw a stone and then hide your hands".
Does this justify the language and tone that some use against Diaz? Not at all, but it is understandable. I just wish sometimes that people could hold their breath for a second before posting something and realize that their words can be used to Diaz' advantage.
In this specific case, I wanted to write about Vital because I knew she was speaking in anger and that she never meant her tweet as a threat. I also appreciate that she was willing to talk to me about it because it provides an example of how our rightful anger at Diaz, if expressed badly, can have consequences.
And if anyone from the FBI or the Albany police is reading this, you are welcome! I've done the groundwork for you on this one. Case closed.
It took a while but here is the translated and transcribed second part of the interview between "Pura Politica" host Juan Manuel Benitez and New York State Senator Ruben Diaz, Sr. that ran a week ago today on New York 1 Noticias. Elements of this segment have been already been translated by Tony Varona and posted at Pam's House Blend ("Anti-gay NY State Senator Rev. Ruben Diaz grilled on NY1 Spanish channel"). This is a rawer translation, keeping intact some turns in phrasing as well as sudden changes from present to past tenses, as spoken by interviewer and interviewee during the broadcast - which might make it a little hard to read. A couple of comments before posting the video:
At the 6:40, in attempting to justify his opposition to the 1994 Gay Games in New York, Reverend Diaz invokes the name of basketball player Michael Jordan in arguing that Jordan was barred from entering other countries due to his HIV status. The Reverend seems to be confusing Michael Jordan with Earvin "Magic" Johnson, Jr., who had announced he was HIV positive back in 1991.
It's truly jaw-dropping to hear the Reverend claim he's just a single individual with some unpopular views and that he would have never, ever, mounted any effort to defeat any effort to advance LGBT-rights if only he'd been left alone. As Benitez says, he has single-handedly made opposing LGBT-rights the main pillar of his political career. Never mind that he is not "just" a single individual: He is a State Senator with the power to influence thousands of people with a single vote.
A few people online are already noted that at the end of the interview, at the 10:40 mark, the Reverend seems to admit that he used to be gay. "I used to be a homosexual", he seems to say before catching himself and talking about being a former drug addict. It's obviously an accidental slip of the tongue. I'm not sure what good it serves for people to use it to argue that the man must be a closeted bigot as some are doing already online. The man is a bigot, but those who keep waiting for a rent-boy to pop up and expose the Reverend as being gay will probably wait until the end of the world. Not that I would really want the Reverend to be on our team, even if he insists in this interview that he could very well become gay overnight if he put himself up to it.
Apparently, as the Reverend has said before and says once again in this interview, he respects Blabbeando for its impartiality. I appreciate his sentiments but want to make clear that no economic exchanges were made in return for the free publicity (a joke, people, a joke).
Finally, I might be biased on the issue, but I really cannot stop myself from admiring the amazing job Juan Manuel Benitez has done in digging at Diaz in this and previous interviews by being respectful, direct, persistent and insistent. In this, and other previous interviews, you can see that he gets under the Reverend's skin when Diaz begins to stutter and mumble at a momentary loss of words. It really cuts through his "I'm not a homophobe" façade and exposes him for whom he truly is.
A couple of exchanges stand out as my favorites and they might not be the ones you suspect: The first one comes at the 6:03 mark when the Reverend is trying to portray himself as an innocent victim of attacks by the LGBT community. In response, Benitez cuts straight through the Reverend's BS reminding him his whole political career has been about opposing LGBT rights. Benitez tells him: "You can't throw a stone and then hide your hands"
The second comes at the 4:50 mark, when the Reverend tries to justify his boycott of El Diario La Prensa by saying that they never cover religious activities such as the Day of the Pastor or children's parades he has organized in the past. Benitez' response to the Reverend?: "Perhaps they only cover is what they consider to be newsworthy". You know, like first communions and such. Just priceless.
Anyway, enough comments, here is the video...
JUAN MANUEL BENITEZ: Senator, aren't you afraid that 10, 20, 30 years from now, when they make documentaries about this issue - an issue that is already unstoppable; each day there are more countries and more states that recognize marriages between couples of the same gender - you will be seen as one of those politicians you see in documentaries from the 1950's, 1960's, who opposed civil rights. That you will be seen as one of those politicians when history looks back? SEN. RUBEN DIAZ, SR.: OK, there are several things I am going to say. First of all. Mayor Bloomberg and those people who dare - DARE! - to compare the suffering, the enslavement, the deportations, the assaults against the African-American community; from Africa, how they took them away from their families, brought them in ships, chained them up, sold them as slaves. People such as Mayor Bloomberg, who dare to compare that to the issue of the homosexual lifestyle, to compare the two is to disrespect - to abuse and disrespect - the black community. And black people - the black community - should not sustain... should respond and not allow the suffering and slavery of the black community to be used as a comparison to the lifestyle of the homosexual community. That is disrespectful to the black community. SEN. RUBEN DIAZ, SR.: Second: Those states that allow civil marriages [between same-sex partners] haven't done so because the people have voted for it. The people of each state - including California - each state where the people has been given the opportunity to vote, people have rejected it. Now, what has happened is that millionaires like Bloomberg come in, take a bunch of money, they buy out legislators and vote them in, and thus the legislature imposes it on the public. JUAN MANUEL BENITEZ: The end of racial segregation was also not decided by voters; instead it was by order of the Supreme Court and also by direct order of the president of the United States... SEN. RUBEN DIAZ, SR.: I'll say it again, I'll say it again; compare it to the Jews. The Jews won't allow anyone to make comparisons to their suffering and their... JUAN MANUEL BENITEZ: But you have to admit that the homosexual community has also had their suffering and that they still suffer attacks by... SEN. RUBEN DIAZ, SR.: As have we, the Puerto Ricans, the Hispanics, as we have had, the Hispanics, the Puerto Ricans... JUAN MANUEL BENITEZ: In other words, you do not deny they have suffered... SEN. RUBEN DIAZ, SR.: Just like fat people, just like... in this world, discrimination is massive. Ourselves as Hispanics, ourselves as Puerto Ricans, we felt it when we came to this country an we still experience it, wherever we are. But to compare that with the suffering and the civil rights of blacks... with the suffering of black slavery in the United States and the entire world... that is disrespectful to the back community. JUAN MANUEL BENITEZ: But many in the homosexual community can also say that you have also been disrespectful on many occasions. [If there has been] a fundamental pillar in your career and your political life it's been your opposition to the homosexual community. Let's look at this: In 2003, you stood against the expansion of a high school for homosexual students with a lawsuit... SEN. RUBEN DIAZ, SR.: I don't think, I don't think public funds... JUAN MANUEL BENITEZ: And in 1994, you complained against the staging of the "Gay Games" athletic event in New York City and you stated, at that time, "some of the gay and lesbian athletes could already be infected with AIDS" and you also said "children could also come to the conclusion that if there are so many gay and lesbian athletes, then there is nothing wrong about it, there are no risks". Don't you think that the homosexual community might feel hurt by these comments? And because the fundamental pillar of your political career has been as such. SEN. RUBEN DIAZ, SR.: But hold on a second. Where are we living? We are living in America. We are living in the United States of America where there is freedom of expression, and freedom means that you might agree with something and I have the right to be in disagreement. Now, you'll take away my freedom to decide what I believe in and what I don't believe in? JUAN MANUEL BENITEZ: One more time: You are banning the right of homosexual people to choose to marry the people they fall in love with. SEN. RUBEN DIAZ, SR.: No, I'm saying... no, no... fall in love with whoever you want, my brother. You can fall in love with whomever, and have pleasure with whomever, and get involved with... What I'm teling you is that I don't approve of marriage and I won't vote for it with my vote. But... have pleasure with whomever you find, fall in love with whomever, I'm not telling you who to fall in love with. JUAN MANUEL BENITEZ: This freedom of expression, to say what you want to say, don't you extend it to El Diario La Prensa? You've been organizing a boycott based on the editorial content of El Diario La Prensa because they back same-sex marriage... SEN. RUBEN DIAZ, SR.: And abortion, and abortion, because... JUAN MANUEL BENITEZ: So you want to silence El Diario La Prensa's freedom of expression. SEN. RUBEN DIAZ, SR.: No, I want to be granted equality. I want to be granted equality. JUAN MANUEL BENITEZ: And what is equality. Which is the equality. SEN. RUBEN DIAZ, SR.: Equality means that El Diario La Prensa doesn't cover any of our activities. They don't cover our children's parades... JUAN MANUEL BENITEZ: They did cover your rally from a couple of weeks back... SEN. RUBEN DIAZ, SR.: Nooooo, oh, man, it was just miniscule coverage. They don't cover the Day of the Pastor, they don't cover religious activities, they don't cover a thing. They only cover... JUAN MANUEL BENITEZ: Perhaps they only cover is what they consider to be newsworthy... SEN. RUBEN DIAZ, SR.: So us... the Evangelical people don't have the right... We don't have to invest 50 cents to buy it. That doesn't... that doesn't... we are in America! JUAN MANUEL BENITEZ: You are taking away the freedom of expression from them. SEN. RUBEN DIAZ, SR.: Ah! So is it an attack... for... for... for us to inhibit our right to express our position. Give me equality, and let's say we'll be on even keel. I'm not saying 'Do not write about that'. What I'm saying is: Why is it that you write only about that side... and don't write about this side. Journalism should be impartial. Which is what I just told you about Blabbeando. Blabbeando. Look, what I said to you about Blabbeando, is that I respect Blabbeando because he's impartial in his writing... JUAN MANUEL BENITEZ:Blabbeando is a blog you have mentioned on other occasions in this program... but each newspaper has their editorial track and their opinion track, and their editorial is their editorial. That's where the editors express their opinion. SEN. RUBEN DIAZ, SR.: So we have no... / No, no... not their editorials, their entire content: They don't cover us and if they block us... in other words, journalism in America should be impartial. It should cover this and it should cover that. But if it's only going to cover one side... JUAN MANUEL BENITEZ: But it would appear that you use these arguments are your liking but then turn them around when they are of no benefit to you... SEN. RUBEN DIAZ, SR.: Well, I live in America and I am nothing more than a single individual, I don't understand why so many people have a problem when I am a single individual; there are so many millionaires and so much press contributing in favor of homosexual marriage; why is it that I am the one who is being attacked now. JUAN MANUEL BENITEZ: Because you know - once again, I repeat this to you - you have based a fundamental pillar in your career doing this. In other words, you can't throw a stone and then hide your hands. SEN. RUBEN DIAZ, SR.: It's not because I've wanted to. Not me, not me, not me. It's themselves, and it brings us publicity - when they start attacking me. If they'd leave me alone, I wouldn't do a thing. I'm just stating my position. JUAN MANUEL BENITEZ: You have said... you have said... you have made some comments that are... that many consider to be insults. SEN. RUBEN DIAZ, SR.: They are not insults. What I am saying there, what I am saying there, first of all: When the Olympic games arrived, Michael Jordan was banned from leaving this country, and other countries over there - outside of the United States - banned Michael Jordan's entry because he had AIDS. And so, when they over there... yes... and I said, why do we have to permit entry to those who come here and those from here, our people, are prohibited from entering there. That's what I said... JUAN MANUEL BENITEZ: ...and that children would think there was nothing wrong with being homosexual... SEN. RUBEN DIAZ, SR.: I still say that, I still say that... JUAN MANUEL BENITEZ: You still say that... SEN. RUBEN DIAZ, SR.: Of course! JUAN MANUEL BENITEZ: Do you then think... you do not deserve, then, those campaigns staged against you, don't you deserve them after saying... after making such comments about the homosexual community? SEN. RUBEN DIAZ, SR.: No, what I am saying... I took the position that for me homosexuality - as a pastor, as a minister, biblically - should not be. JUAN MANUEL BENITEZ: And I wanted to ask you, I have two questions, but we have to go quickly to end this segment. First, aren't you afraid to end up like those pastors who announced the end of the world last week - with all those tragedies that will occur if homosexual marriage is adopted - after observing that many countries throughout the world - those who warned that something would happen, that a tragedy would occur - that hasn't happened. Do you think you'll be left like those pastors who announced the end of the world? SEN. RUBEN DIAZ, SR.: I announce the end of the world. JUAN MANUEL BENITEZ: When? SEN. RUBEN DIAZ, SR.: Whenever God decides it's time... JUAN MANUEL BENITEZ: Ah! Of course, that's how you hedge your bets! SEN. RUBEN DIAZ, SR.: No, no, no. It's just what the Bible says. According to the Bible, Lord Jesus Christ said that not even the angels sitting at... JUAN MANUEL BENITEZ: But let me ask you. Do you not fear being left behind like those charlatan pastors who announce the end of the world as they did last week and, in the end, they have to backtrack because this world did not end? SEN. RUBEN DIAZ, SR.: Left behind as what? Are you calling me a charlatan because I oppose homosexual marriage? JUAN MANUEL BENITEZ: No! Because I am telling you that you claim that if homosexual marriage is adopted all kind of awful things will happen to society - and that it's been legalized in other countries and none of that has happened - when you are basing it on an opinion but not on data or facts! SEN. RUBEN DIAZ, SR.: And why not spend that money on a more common system, ask for a referendum, and allow the 20 million residents of the State of New York to say whether they want it or not. Why impose it, by buying out Senate votes, buying out their minds and buying out their conscience. JUAN MANUEL BENITEZ: And to end, Senator: You also released a press statement on Thursday in response to Mayor Bloomberg addressing the "homosexual lifestyle". "Why defend the homosexual lifestyle". Do you then believe that this is a "lifestyle" that can be chosen? Do you think that homosexuals wake up one morning and say "I am going to fall in love with someone of the same gender". SEN. RUBEN DIAZ, SR.: I believe, I believe, I believe that it is, I believe, I believe that it's a homosexual behavior - because there are homosexuals who have changed their behavior... JUAN MANUEL BENITEZ: And so, let me ask you: If it's a choice, by that same rule, you could wake up tomorrow... get up tomorrow and say "I am going to fall in love with a man". SEN. RUBEN DIAZ, SR.: I could. JUAN MANUEL BENITEZ: You think you can? SEN. RUBEN DIAZ, SR.: Yes, I could. JUAN MANUEL BENITEZ: In other words, you'd be capable of that. SEN. RUBEN DIAZ, SR.: I'm not sure if Id' be capable of it but it could happen. JUAN MANUEL BENITEZ: It could happen... SEN. RUBEN DIAZ, SR.: It could happen that many people will get up tomorrow with an atrophied and different mind, and change things. I was... Me, when I became born again, when I arrived... Look, I left drugs behind. JUAN MANUEL BENITEZ: But... are you comparing - one more time - something... SEN. RUBEN DIAZ, SR.: I left drugs behind. And my mind changed: One day I said "No more". I left drugs behind. And here I am. JUAN MANEL BENITEZ: In other words, being homosexual is akin to being addicted to drugs... SEN. RUBEN DIAZ, SR.: Ah, it's that you all, you know, it's impossible. It isn't true... JUAN MANUEL BENITEZ: But that's the comparison you just made! SEN. RUBEN DIAZ, SR.: No. I am comparing what one can change from one day to another, change one's mind. I was telling you who I was. But you insist on looking for the turn of the screw and tomorrow the blogs will go crazy. "Look what he said!" "Look what he is comparing it to!" I am not saying that. What I am saying is, I used to be homo... [laughs] see? You have... I was, er, addicted to drugs. I left the armed forces with a vicious addiction to drugs and straight to the United States and I was deep into vice. One day, all of a sudden, I changed my mind and from then on, I wasn't anymore. What I am saying - but I wasn't born addicted to drugs. I wasn;t born addicted to drugs. JUAN MANUEL BENITEZ: That's where we'll leave it. Thank you so much for being here.
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Esta semana en Diversidad Capital por Capital 21 hablamos sobre
discriminación por edad con: Ana Francis Mor. Humberto Álvarez. Victoria
Beltrán del Consej...
MIT Fellowship and Relocation
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Very excited and grateful to begin a new chapter in my life. The
Massachusetts Institute of Technology has awarded me one of ten Knight
Science Journalism ...
The Years Of Writing Dangerously
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Thirteen years ago, as I was starting to experiment with this blogging
thing, I wrote the following: [T]he speed with which an idea in your head
reaches th...
Joining the Trans Advocacy Network
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Post by Christopher Argyros, Pride Agenda Transgender Rights Organizer I’m
excited to announce that the Pride Agenda has joined the nationwide Trans
Advoca...
Chess, anyone?
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Art by MUROB
From Wikipedia...
Chess Records was an American record label based in Chicago, Illinois. It
specialized in blues, R&B, gospel music, early r...
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