New York state Senator Ruben Diaz Sr.'s
lesbian granddaughter Erica Diaz has questioned her grandfather's
love for her as the Pentecostal minister speaks out against a gay
marriage bill being considered by lawmakers.
Mr. Diaz has become the face of
opposition in the Empire State since the Senate killed a gay
marriage bill in 2009.
As lawmakers begin to wind down the
legislative session, Mr. Diaz has turned up the heat against the
proposed measure.
In
an interview with NY1's Spanish language affiliate, Mr. Diaz told
Juan Manuel Benitez, host of the network's Pura Politica (Pure
Politics), that homosexuality “should not exist” because it's
unnatural, that being gay is a choice, that Christians are being
persecuted and compared being gay to a drug addition similar to the
one he escaped.
Now
in a New York Post op-ed penned by Ms. Diaz, she talks
about her family – girlfriend Naomi and their two sons, Jared and
Jeremiah Munoz – and discusses how her grandfather's words have
hurt all of them.
“My family deserves the same benefits
as others. 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,” Mrs. Diaz wrote.
“My grandfather … spoke about
marriage equality on a Spanish radio station in April. He was joined
by a priest who said, 'Gay People are worthy of death.' Papa didn't
say anything. I was shattered.”
“You cannot tell someone that you
love them and stay silent when people call for their death.”
“He could quietly vote 'no' if that's
what he believes is right,” Ms. Diaz concluded. “But I want him
to know that every word he utters hurts his own blood.”