Erica Diaz, the 22 year-old lesbian granddaughter of anti-gay New York State Senator Ruben Diaz Sr., publicly took a stand against her grandfather's view against same-sex marriage in a New York Post article published today.
"I want him to know that every word he utters hurts his own blood," said Erica Diaz.
Sen. Ruben Diaz Sr., who represents the 32nd senate district in the Bronx, is a longtime opponent of the gay community and one of the most outspoken NY politicians against gay-marriage. Last month the Puerto Rican state senator and Pentecostal minister hosted a march and rally against marriage equality in the South Bronx that drew 2,500 participants.
In 1994, Ruben Diaz Sr. was forced to resign from the city’s Civilian Complaint Review Board for suggesting that the Gay Games would encourage homosexuality and spread H.I.V. In 2003, he sued the city to shut down a high school for gay and transgender students.
Erica Diaz, a lesbian mother of two who was discharged from the U.S. Navy under the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, was "shattered" when her grandfather went on a Spanish radio station in April and remained silent when another priest said, "Gay people are worthy of death." Diaz told the Post that she's "finally conjured the courage to stand up for what is right."
Ms. Diaz is just one of multiple gay relative of the state senator. In a 2009 New York Times article, Diaz Sr. said he loved his gay relatives, "But I don’t believe in what they are doing."
Erica Diaz chose to remain closeted in her teenage years out of "respect" to her father's side of the family, in which Ruben Diaz was the reverend patriarch. Since then she has been in a relationship with her girlfriend, Naomi Torres, for two and a half years.
"My family deserves the same benefits as others," Erica Diaz told NBC New York. "Naomi -- whom I would like to marry -- should be able to do things that straight married people take for granted, like make a decision for me if I'm sick."
During last month's anti-gay marriage rally in the Bronx, Sen. Diaz Sr. brought Erica to the podium to tell the crowd he loved his granddaughter.
But Erica told the Post, "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."
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