Enough is enough: Rubén Díaz Sr. should resign from public office and never hold office ever again.

It's never something new from Councilmember Rubén Díaz Sr. For decades he's presented a delusional and dichotomous double helix of intersecting bigoted paradigms: He holds LGBTQ people to be beneath him, unworthy to love whom we love or keep our homes or jobs because of who we are, while at the same time proclaiming that we have an immeasurable power to somehow victimize him and dominate him.

A recap of what happened over the weekend:
On Friday evening, Diaz Sr. said in an interview that the New York City Council "is controlled by the homosexual community". Attributing non-existent power to a minority population is an ages-old tool of bigots intended to garner animosity and hate.

Council Speaker Corey Johnson was quick to respond, issuing a statement:  "Council Member Díaz Sr.'s homophobic comments are offensive to both the Speaker and the body, and have no place in New York City. He should apologize to all of his colleagues, and the entire LGBTQ community."

SDNYC agreed, refusing Diaz Sr.'s bigoted notion:  "Voters control @NYCCouncil, and they're rejecting homophobia and bigotry."

The call for an apology was soon joined by a wide swath of current and former elected officials, many of whom demanded more than an apology.  Click through to see individual statements:
Mayor Bill de Blasio
Comptroller Scott Stringer
Congressmember Max Rose
Bronx Borough President Rubén Díaz Jr.
State Senators Alessandra Biaggi, Gustavo Rivera, Luis Sepúlveda 
Assemblymembers Michael Blake, Marcos Crespo, Jeffrey Dinowitz, Harvey Epstein, Nathalia Fernandez, Ron Kim, Yuh-Line Niou, Danny O'Donnell, Karines Reyes
Former Council Speaker:  Melissa Mark-Viverito
Councilmembers Andrew Cohen, Rafael Espinal, Vanessa Gibson, Barry Grodenchik, Brad Lander, Mark D. Levine, Carlos Menchaca, Donovan Richards, Carlina Rivera, Helen Rosenthal, Rafael Samanca Jr., Ritchie Torres, Mark Treyger, Jimmy Van Bramer, Jumaane Williams

Díaz, Sr. brushed off the criticism from his colleagues, his community and his constituents and refused to apologize.

The Council LGBTQ and Women's Caucuses issued a statement saying, in part:  "We demand he resign from his position effective immediately. It is time that we stick by the pledge we have made to our communities that hate and fear have no place in New York City."

The Progressive Caucus joined them in calling for Diaz's immediate resignation, "His failure to respect the institution in which he serves and the Bronx constituents that rely on him to protect them combined with his inability to understand that his comments have real world consequences leave us with no other option but to call for new representation."

As of the time of this email, Díaz, Sr. continues to dismiss any opinion other than his own.


Diaz's homophobia and refusal to even acknowledge the offensiveness of his bigoted comment are fully unsurprising. As stated above, Diaz has a decades-long legacy of bigotry.  And SDNYC has called him out for decades as well.  In his 2017 election, we not only endorsed and campaigned for an opponent, but plainly stated:  "Supporting Diaz Sr.'s campaign in any manner is unacceptable to our club and our community."

So again:  Rubén Díaz Sr. should resign from public office and never hold office ever again.  

Please show your support to those elected officials that have spoken out already, and let others know that hate and homophobia have no place in New York City.  

A rally at City Hall is planned for Tuesday morning at 10 a.m.  We will provide more details over social media as we receive it.

As always:  Thank you for being a Stonewall Democrat.

Join us for The State of LGBTQ New York

The State of the Union might not have mentioned LGBTQ people, but ... we know Trump is obsessed with removing transgender patriots from the military, appointing homophobic judges, and removing civil rights protections for LGBTQ Americans.  And while a bold claim was made to end HIV transmissions, the reality is different from the rhetoric.  Trump's buget cut CDC’s HIV prevention programs by $149 million (19%), cut CDC’s STD prevention programs by $27 million (17%), eliminated the AIDS Education and Training Centers and the Special Projects of National Significance portions of the Ryan White programs, eliminates the HHS Secretary’s Minority AIDS Initiative Fund, reduced SAMHSA’s Minority AIDS Initiative programs, and cut the Housing Opportunities for People with AIDS (HOPWA) program at HUD.

In New York State and New York City, it's a different story:  Record funding is slated to LGBTQ initiatives in NYC. GENDA and the Conversion Therapy Ban are now state law.  So please join us at our February meeting as we have special guests from the Governor's and Mayor's office join us to discuss the State of LGBTQ NY:

SDNYC FEBRUARY MEETING:  THE STATE OF LGBTQ NY
DATE:  Wednesday, February 27, 8 p.m. - 9 p.m.
DETAILS:  The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center, 208 W 13 St, New York, NY 10011
RSVP:  https://www.facebook.com/events/889740254559591/

On February 27th at 8pm at the The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center, SDNYC will hold our monthly meeting.

We'll also have brief community updates, including a look at the coming political/legislative calendar, and more.

This meeting is free and open to members of the public so please share this invite with anyone who might be interested!

SDNYC is proud to endorse Assemblymember Danny O'Donnell for New York City Public Advocate!

It's about time an openly LGBTQ person was elected to a citywide office in New York City!

LGBTQ New Yorkers know him as the first openly gay man elected to the New York State Assembly and as a fiercely progressive voice in Albany for seventeen years.

Born in Queens and raised with his four siblings in Commack, Long Island, O’Donnell put himself through college and law school, earning a B.A. in public affairs from George Washington University and a law degree from CUNY Law School. After seven years as a public defender at the Legal Aid Society, he opened his own public interest law firm on the Upper West Side. His community practice helped clients with tenant representation, as well as civil rights litigation ranging from employment discrimination to First Amendment rights.

During his tenure in the Assembly he has been the prime sponsor of several trailblazing bills, most notably the NY Marriage Equality Act, a bill O’Donnell led to passage in the Assembly five times before it was finally signed into law in June 2011. He was also the prime sponsor of New York’s anti-bullying legislation, the Dignity for All Students Act, which was the first time trans protections were written into law in NY.

We fully expect Danny O'Donnell to bring his fierce brand of advocacy forward not just as a voice of LGBTQ New Yorkers, but for all New Yorkers as our next public advocate!

SDNYC PHONE BANK for DANNY O'DONNELL
DATE:  Every Thursday, 6:00 - 9:00 p.m. (time)
LOCATION: O'Donnell for Public Advocate Headquarters, 2697 Broadway

Bring a friend, bring your phone (and a charger!), and sign up to get started. The campaign will  provide scripts, call sheets, and training. Whether you're a first-time phone-banker or a veteran, all are welcome to help make calls!

All phone banks will take place at Danny HQ (2697 Broadway). An organizer will be in touch to confirm the details with you after you sign up via the link below.  (Thursdays don't work for you?  No problem, sign up for any day!)
 

Sign up HERE for more details.
Or DONATE!

JANUARY MEETING: Public Advocate Special Election Endorsement

Join us Wednesday, January 23rd for our Public Advocate Special Election Endorsement meeting.  We'll hear from the campaigns of candidates, review their questionnaire answers, and members will vote to endorse those candidates that will be the best for the LGBTQ community.

For 33 years the Stonewall Democratic Club of NYC has played an important part in municipal, state, and federal elections. For the Public Advocate Special Election, SDNYC has presented questions to candidates on issues important to the LGBTQ Community in order to present candidates to our membership for endorsement votes. The candidates below have sought SDNYC endorsement and their questionnaire answers follow.

Click HERE for a better mobile version.

UPDATE: Since publication, Ify Ike has announced that she will not appear on the ballot February 26.

The Interim Public Advocate Race: Candidate Forum & Endorsement Meeting

2019 has started off with a bang:
Tish James is now the Attorney General of the state of New York.
Speaker Corey Johnson is pulling double duty as Acting Public Advocate.
And as per the City Charter, Mayor Bill de Blasio has called for a special election to elect an interim Public Advocate on Tuesday, February 26.

Candidates are gathering at least 3,750 petition signatures which are due to be turned in Monday, January 14, raising money and actively campaigning.  There could be as many as thirty candidates if all gather enough signatures.  The New York Times calls it "New York's Hottest Contest".

Who are the best candidates for LGBTQ New Yorkers?  We'll be hearing from candidates at an LGBTQ Forum on January 16th.  One week later, our members will endorse in the race at our January 23 meeting.  We've already sent questionnaires out to all candidates that have expressed interest in our endorsement.  (If you're a candidate seeking endorsement and we haven't heard from you, learn what you need to do!)

It's a big race, so we're having two separate events to best inform our members and the LGBTQ community.  

LGBTQ CANDIDATE FORUM for PUBLIC ADVOCATE
DATE:  Wednesday, January 16, 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. (doors open at 6:30)
LOCATION: LGBT Center, 205 West Thirteenth Street, Room 301

The LGBTQ community demands the next Public Advocate know our issues, our community, and our needs.  To choose a candidate that can fill that role, we need to hear from them.  Stonewall Democratic Club of New York City joins forces with Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club, Lambda Independent Democrats of Brooklyn, and the Lesbian & Gay Democratic Club of Queens to host an LGBTQ-focused candidate forum Wednesday, January 16, from 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. at the LGBT Center, 205 West Thirteenth Street, Room 301.

Format and other details will be informed by the number of candidates participating.  We will have this information available by Saturday, January 12.  If you are a candidate who has not yet reached out for information, please let us know.

Join us next Wednesday!  For now, you can register in advance and RSVP on Facebook and help spread the word.

SDNYC JANUARY MEETING
& PUBLIC ADVOCATE ENDORSEMENT
DATE:  Wednesday, January 23, 8 p.m. - 9 p.m.
DETAILS:  The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center, 208 W 13 St, New York, NY 10011
RSVP:  https://www.facebook.com/events/345128546275479/
If you are a candidate or want to vote in our endorsement meeting, find details: here.

We'll have candidates and campaign representatives speaking to you and answering your questions. Candidates seeking SDNYC endorsement will also submit responses to our candidate questionnaire which will be posted January 16 at sdnyc.org.

The meeting is free and open to members of the public so please share this invite with anyone who might be interested!  

Need to renew or want to join?  Just click below.  NOTE:  Current paid members as of January 5, 2019 (or renewing 2017/8 members) will be eligible to vote.

SDNYC 2019 MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION: 
Sign up and pay on our website: http://www.SDNYC.org/membership
    ● $35.00 -- Individual Membership
    ● $50.00 -- Family Membership (Maximum of 2 people per Family Membership)
    ● $13.00 -- Reduced Price Membership (People who are students, retired or disabled)