How did we miss this? New York Sen. Ruben Diaz Sr.—the arch-conservative anti-gay Pentecostal minister from the Bronx who is the leading opponent of marriage equality in the state—has not one but two gay brothers. Oh and Liza Minelli's voice can bring him to tears, reports New York.
"Over the Christmas holiday, Christopher Lynn, a former top Giuliani
aide and founding member of the gay and lesbian Stonewall Democratic
Club in New York City, took one of his closest friends, a Democratic
state senator, to a performance of Liza Minnelli's Broadway show, Liza's at the Palace ... !
During the poignant rendition of Charles Aznavour's drag-queen ballad,
"What Makes a Man a Man?", Lynn turned to his friend and saw that he was
choked up. 'Diaz was in tears,' says Lynn. Yes, that Diaz—Bronx
senator Ruben Diaz Sr., the Pentecostal Puerto Rican minister and
scourge of gay marriage. ... Diaz, who has not one but two gay brothers, says, 'I'm not
homophobic. I have a problem with gay marriage. I have no problem with
gays.' "
Perhaps that last statement explains why Diaz Sr. once claimed the Gay Games would lead to "an increase in AIDS and homosexuality in young people."
A marriage bill will reportedly be "very first bill" to be considered in today's special Senate session called by Gov. David Paterson. Diaz Sr. promises to do something "big" to prevent the vote from happening.
