Rubén Díaz Sr.

Rubén Díaz Sr. (born April 22, 1943) is a Puerto Rican politician from New York City and an ordained Pentecostal minister. He has represented the 18th Council District in the New York City Council since January 2018. A member of the Democratic Party, Díaz represented the 32nd district in the New York State Senate from 2003 to 2017; his Senate district included parts of the Bronx neighborhoods of Castle Hill, Parkchester, Morrisania, Hunts Point, Melrose, Longwood, and Soundview.

This article is about New York State Senator. For his son, the Bronx borough president, see Rubén Díaz Jr.
Rubén Díaz Sr.
Member of the New York City Council
from the 18th district
Assumed office
January 1, 2018
Preceded byAnnabel Palma
In office
January 1, 2002 – January 1, 2003
Preceded byLucy Cruz
Succeeded byPedro Espada Jr.
Member of the New York Senate
from the 32nd district
In office
January 1, 2003 – December 31, 2017
Preceded byPedro Espada Jr.
Succeeded byLuis Sepúlveda
Personal details
Born (1943-04-22) April 22, 1943
Bayamón, Puerto Rico
Political partyDemocratic
ChildrenRubén
EducationLehman College (BA)
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service United States Army
Years of service1960–1963

A socially conservative Democrat, Díaz is known for his outspoken opposition to abortion[1] and same-sex marriage.[2]

Early life and education

Born and raised in Bayamón, Puerto Rico, Díaz served in the United States Armed Forces beginning in 1960,[3] ultimately obtaining an honorable discharge[4] three years later.[5] He moved to New York City in 1965. Also in 1965, Díaz pleaded guilty to marijuana and heroin possession charges and was sentenced to probation.[3]

Díaz became an Evangelical Christian in 1966.[3] He earned a Bachelor's Degree from Lehman College in 1976.[6]

Career

Early career

Díaz formed a senior center, Christian Community in Action, in 1977.[3] In 1978, he became an ordained minister of the Church of God,[4] which describes itself as evangelical and pentecostal.[7] Díaz formed Christian Community Neighborhood Church;[3] as of 2017, he remains a pastor of that church.[8]

In 1993, Díaz was appointed to serve on New York City's Civilian Complaint Review Board.[3] In 1994, while on the Civilian Complaint Review Board, Díaz was critical of the city hosting the Gay Games, claiming that doing so would lead to an increase in AIDS cases and to wider acceptance of homosexuality by young people.[9] Díaz wrote that hosting the Games would lead children "to conclude that if there are so many gay and lesbian athletes then there is nothing wrong, nor any risks involved."[9] Other members of the Board condemned Díaz's comments.[9]

Diaz was first elected to the New York City Council in 2001.[10]

New York State Senate

In 2002, Diaz was elected to the New York State Senate.[3] He represented the 32nd district in the New York State Senate from 2003 to 2017; his Senate district included parts of the Bronx neighborhoods of Castle Hill, Parkchester, Morrisania, Hunts Point, Melrose, Longwood, and Soundview.[11]

In 2007, Díaz expressed anger at Governor Eliot Spitzer after Spitzer reversed course and abandoned his plan to allow illegal immigrants to obtain New York driver's licenses. Díaz said he had been betrayed by Spitzer.[12]

Díaz was one of three Democratic Senators, known as the "Gang of Three", who threatened to abandon the Democratic majority elected to the New York State Senate on November 4, 2008. A fourth, Senator-elect Hiram Monserrate, backed out of the group in early November.[13][14] According to a memorandum leaked to the New York Times in December 2008, the remaining "Gang of Three" tried to use their leverage to have one of them named Senate Majority Leader and another named chair of the Senate Finance Committee, and to obtain a guarantee that the Senate would not vote on the issue of same-sex marriage.[15] This deal fell through, and the three reached a compromise[16] with State Senator Malcolm Smith in January 2009, recognizing Smith as Senate Majority Leader.[17]

In 2010, Díaz was challenged by Carlos "Charlie" Ramos in a Democratic primary campaign. Díaz won the primary by a margin of 79% to 22%.[18] Ramos' campaign complained of a number of polling irregularities, including intimidation of voters, bringing campaign literature into polling sites, and expelling certified poll watchers who worked for Ramos.[19]

New York City Council

Díaz won a 2017 Democratic primary for New York City Council with 42% of the vote.[20] In November 2017, Díaz was elected to the City Council in District 18.[21]

Díaz created controversy in February 2019 after asserting that the City Council was "controlled by the homosexual community". On February 13, 2019, the City Council voted to disband the Diaz-chaired Committee on For-Hire Vehicles, and Council Speaker Corey Johnson called for his resignation.[22]

In July 2020, Díaz announced that he would not seek re-election in 2021.[23]

2020 U.S. House of Representatives election
Main article: 2020 United States House of Representatives elections in New York § District 15

In April 2019, Díaz declared his candidacy for the U.S. House of Representatives in New York's 15th congressional district.[21] On June 23, 2020, he lost the Democratic primary, finishing third out of 12 candidates (behind victor Ritchie Torres and second-place finisher Michael Blake).[24][25]

Political positions

Abortion and stem cell research

Díaz has taken prominent public positions against abortion[26][27][28] and against embryonic stem cell research.[29][30][31]

Diaz has written the following: "'Hitler used the ashes of the Jews to make bars of soap. In America, we are selling fetal tissue to be used in: the manufacture of cosmetics as well as for medical research. What is the difference? Do not point your finger at Hitler, we are worse'".[32] In a March 2005 speech on the State Senate floor, Díaz made the following remarks: "Abortion is the American Holocaust.... The comparison is plain: six million Jews were exterminated by Hitler in Germany; Almost 48 million babies have been exterminated in the abortion clinics of America. We have simply been in the killing for a longer period of time than Hitler".[33][34] In 2008, when a colleague proposed legislation that would expand abortion rights in New York, Díaz described the bill as "one of the most dangerous and radical pieces of proposed legislation in New York State that I have ever seen."[35] Díaz again compared abortion to the Holocaust in May 2012, drawing criticism from the Anti-Defamation League.[36]

Opposition to LGBT rights

In 2003, Díaz filed a lawsuit to stop the expansion of the Harvey Milk School, claiming that the school infringed upon the rights of heterosexual students.[37][38] The lawsuit was settled in 2006 after the school agreed not to discriminate against heterosexual students and not to restrict admission to students who identify as LGBT, and after the City of New York agreed that the school would be open to all students.[39]

In 2007, as his party—led by Governor Eliot Spitzer and Lt. Governor David Paterson—sought to pass same-sex marriage legislation, Díaz opposed the bill and was highly critical of Democratic support for it.[40] Díaz's opposition to same-sex marriage continued in 2008, when he vowed to vote against same-sex marriage legislation.[41] In May 2009, Díaz led a rally against same-sex marriage in front of the New York City office of Governor David Paterson; the rally was attended by an estimated 20,000 participants.[42]

While Díaz has been an outspoken opponent of same-sex marriage, a November 2009 New York Times states that Díaz "love[s]" his gay and lesbian relatives, but "[doesn't] believe in what they are doing."[43] The same article quoted Díaz's openly gay chief counsel as stating that Díaz "is a true believer in Christian values, in treating people the way you want to be treated."[43]

On December 2, 2009, Díaz voted against same-sex marriage legislation, which failed to pass the Senate.[44]

On May 15, 2011, Díaz led a rally of same-sex marriage opponents in the Bronx.[45] His granddaughter Erica Diaz, who is openly lesbian, led a counterprotest.[46] During Díaz's speech, his granddaughter came up on the stage with him, and Díaz hugged and kissed her and said, "This is my granddaughter. I love her. I love her. I love her. I respect her decisions. She does what she wants."[47] Erica subsequently stated that "You cannot tell someone that you love them and stay silent when people call for their death. 'Love' is empty when you say someone's life isn't natural."[48] Díaz has reported receiving numerous death threats, and a New York gay bar said it would hold a "Fuck Ruben Diaz" event.[49]

On June 24, 2011, Díaz once again voted against same-sex marriage legislation; however, this time the measure successfully passed in the Senate by a vote of 33-29. Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the bill minutes after the passage, making New York the sixth state in the United States to legalize same-sex marriage. The law went into effect on July 24, 2011, 30 days after it was signed.[50]

In 2019, he described the New York City Council as being "controlled by the homosexual community."[51]

Personal life

Diaz and his first wife, Didionilda Díaz (Vega), have three children.[4] One of their sons, Rubén Díaz Jr., is also a politician and was elected Bronx Borough President in April 2009.[52] As of 2015, Díaz is married to Leslie Díaz.[53]

See also

References
  1. "Pol invokes Hitler to oppose abortion bill". NY Daily News. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
  2. Barkan, Ross (April 5, 2013). "Rubén Díaz Sr. Stands Fast Against Gay Marriage as His Own Son Supports It". The New York Observer.
  3. Powell, Nick (August 18, 2017). "Saddle Up: Will state Sen. Rubén Díaz Sr.'s luck hold in a run for City Council?". CSNY.
  4. "Diaz Family Values". www.villagevoice.com.
  5. "Senator Ruben Diaz". NY State Senate.
  6. Nossiter, Adam (August 23, 1995). "Hate the Sin, Love the Sinner; A Wheeler-Dealer Minister Denies Homophobia" – via NYTimes.com.
  7. "Church of God is..." Archived from the original on May 17, 2011.
  8. "'I am the Church. I am the State': Diaz Sr. Faces Younger Voices in Bronx Primary". City Limits. August 3, 2017.
  9. Hicks, Jonathan P. (March 3, 1994). "Board Disavows Diaz on the Gay Games". The New York Times.
  10. Powell, Nick (August 18, 2017). "Saddle Up: Will state Sen. Rubén Díaz Sr.'s luck hold in a run for City Council?". CSNY.
  11. "NY Senate District 32". NY State Senate. Retrieved November 13, 2015.
  12. "HILL'S 'STAND?' WELL, TODAY IS THURSDAY . . ". November 18, 2007. Archived from the original on November 18, 2007.
  13. Confessore, Nicholas; Hakim, Danny (November 5, 2008). "Democrats Take State Senate". The New York Times. Retrieved November 5, 2008.
  14. "Monserrate The Odd Man Out". New York Daily News. December 5, 2008. Archived from the original on June 16, 2012.
  15. Confessore, Nicholas (December 11, 2008). "Document Outlines a Failed Senate Deal". The New York Times.
  16. Hakim, Danny (January 7, 2009). "Democrats Reach Pact to Lead the Senate". The New York Times.
  17. Peters, Jeremy W. (January 8, 2009). "Democrats Take Control of New York State Senate". The New York Times.
  18. Kappstatter, Bob (September 15, 2010). "It was a day full of upsets after Sen. Pedro Espada lost to Gustavo Rivera, but others won too". New York Daily News.
  19. "More Reports of Election Irregularities: Ruben Diaz Sr. Breaking the Law?". The Daily Gotham. September 14, 2010. Archived from the original on January 21, 2013.
  20. Max, Ben. "2017 New York City Primary Election Results". Retrieved September 13, 2017.
  21. "Diaz Sr. Formally Declares Run for Congress". April 14, 2019.
  22. "Lawmaker's Committee Dissolved After His Incendiary Comments". www.ny1.com.
  23. Hicks, Nolan; Campanile, Carl (July 13, 2020). "City council firebrand Ruben Diaz Sr. won't seek re-election".
  24. "NYS Board of Elections Unofficial Election Night Results". nyenr.elections.ny.gov.
  25. Carlisle, Madeleine (June 24, 2020). "'This Has Been a Long Time Coming.' Two New York Candidates Now Poised to Become First Openly Gay Black, Afro-Latino Men in Congress". Time. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  26. "Senator Ruben Diaz: 'Hitler Was Pro-Choice'". May 1, 2012.
  27. "Two Bronx politicians, father and son, find themselves at odds in the 2016 race". Washington Post.
  28. "Democrats Defending Life - Rubén Díaz". First Things.
  29. "Pro-Life Dem Lawmaker Blasts Embryonic Stem Cell Research Plan". June 14, 2008.
  30. "Rubén Díaz Sr.'s habit of offending". CSNY. May 9, 2019.
  31. "Ruben Diaz Sr.'s longstanding issue with homosexuality". am New York.
  32. Gershman, Jacob; July 15, Staff Reporter of the Sun; 2008. "Senator Plans Run as Democrat — and Republican". The New York Sun.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  33. "My Position On Stem Cell Research".
  34. "Diaz Hit For Nazi-Stem-Cell Link". New York Daily News. March 18, 2005. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
  35. Hakim, Danny (February 18, 2008). "A Day's Work in Albany, a Day's Pay, and $154 More". The New York Times.
  36. "State Sen. Diaz Stirs Up Controversy After Comparing Abortion To Holocaust". May 2, 2012.
  37. Herszenhorn, David M. (August 16, 2003). "Lawsuit Opposes Expansion Of School for Gay Students". The New York Times.
  38. Winerip, Michael (August 27, 2003). "ON EDUCATION; A Safe Haven Finds Itself Under Siege". The New York Times.
  39. "Gay Only School Must Admit Straights".
  40. "Gay-Marriage Bill Passes, Fails, and Freaks Out a Bronx Dem". New York Magazine. June 20, 2007.
  41. "Legislative Gazette". legislativegazette.com. June 4, 2008. Archived from the original on June 4, 2008. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  42. Giove, Candice M. (May 18, 2009). "20,000 in Midtown Protest Gay Marriage, Paterson, Silver, Village Voice". Village Voice. Archived from the original on August 4, 2009.
  43. Confessore, Nicholas; Peters, Jeremy W. (November 10, 2009). "Foe of Gay Marriage in New York Says It's Nothing Personal". The New York Times. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
  44. "State Senate Rejects Same-Sex Marriage Bill". NY1. December 2, 2009. Archived from the original on July 15, 2012. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
  45. "Diaz Leads Thousands In March Against Same-Sex Marriage".
  46. Times, MICHAEL M. GRYNBAUM New York (May 16, 2011). "Rival gay marriage rallies held". Times Union.
  47. Grynbaum, Michael M. (May 15, 2011). "Senator and Granddaughter Hold Rival Gay Marriage Rallies" – via NYTimes.com.
  48. Report, Post Staff (June 5, 2011). "Grandpa's gay of reckoning".
  49. ARMAGHAN, SARAH. "Same-sex marriage foe State Sen. Ruben Diaz & family hit with death threats over stance on issue". nydailynews.com.
  50. New York Says "I Do" from The Advocate June 24, 2011
  51. Ryan Grim (April 1, 2020). "Campaigning in a Covid-19 Hot Spot, AOC Ally Samelys López Looks to Break Out". theintercept.com. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
  52. Lee, Trymaine (April 22, 2009). "Rubén Díaz Jr. Wins Race for Bronx Borough President" – via NYTimes.com.
  53. "State Senator Claims His Wife Was Denied Job Because She's Against Gay Marriage". May 18, 2015.
Political offices
Preceded by
Lucy Cruz		 Member of the New York City Council
from the 18th district
2002–2003		 Succeeded by
Pedro Espada Jr.
Preceded by
Annabel Palma		 Member of the New York City Council
from the 18th district
2018–present		 Incumbent
New York State Senate
Preceded by
Pedro Espada Jr.		 Member of the New York Senate
from the 32nd district
2003–2017		 Succeeded by
Luis Sepúlveda
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