Notoriously anti-gay State Senator Rev. Ruben Diaz is at it again. In a Spanish-written essay, he criticized co-habituating politicians; namely, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Governor Andrew Cuomo.

From Politicker NY:

I, for my part, don’t want to offend anyone, but the Bible, the word of God; calls it fornication to live as husband and wife without having made this union a wedding officially blessed by God and man,” Senator Diaz wrote in remarks translated from the original Spanish.

For a Pentacostal minister, it seems Diaz forgets two important Bible passages: “Let he without sin cast the first stone” and the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Luke 18:9-14).

Andrew Cuomo, Michael Bloomberg, Pentcostal, Politicker NY, Ruben Diaz

So, unless you have been living under a rock for the past day, you know that marriage equality has finally become a reality for the Empire State. No longer will two loving people be denied marriage licenses, hospital visitation rights, next-of-kin benefits, and thousands of other rights and freedoms that come with marriage. Since our inception as an organization, the Brooklyn Young Democrats have fought for marriage equality. And today we can say that our hard work has paid off.

By a 33 to 29, margin, the Republican controlled State Senate passed the Marriage Equality Act with Republican Senators James Alesi, Mark Grisanti, Roy McDonald, and Stephen Saland standing up for equal rights for all, regardless of who they love. The events of last night are proof that our leaders can come together and fight for the needs of the people of the State of New York. At the 2009 College Democrats of New York Convention, during a panel discussion with State Senators Eric Adams, Liz Krueger, and Diane Savino (famous for this video), I asked the panel if they believed that any of their colleagues on the Republican side would vote for marriage equality. They told me that they believed that there were some that wanted to vote for the measure, but, as Diane Savino said, they were “afraid” to come out for the rights of gays and lesbians. Last night was testimony to the courage of voting for what is right and it made true what those senators told me over 2 years ago.

However, we must realize that one state senator from Brooklyn does not believe in basic civil rights based on sexual orientation. That senator, of course, is Marty Golden. Senator Golden went so far last night to tweet “I do not feel that the religious protections in this bill were adequate.” The Marriage Equality Act, however, ensures that no religious institution is required to perform any same-sex marriages. Furthermore, the bill protects any religious organizations that does not condone same-sex marriage from threat of lawsuit for not providing their services for such marriages.

Brooklyn Senator Carl Kruger himself even admitted that he was wrong for voting against marriage equality last time around. If we can change the mind of just one of our senators, imagine how many minds we can change with the people of Brooklyn.

In case you did not catch the floor debate, as the videos come online, I will add them so you all can see democracy in action.

Stephen Salandsession remarks on Senate Bill 5857

Mark Grisanti (R-Buffalo) Speaking on the Marriage Equality Act

In case you want a laugh, here is Sen. Ruben Diaz having a temper tantrum

Andrew Cuomo, Carl Krueger, College Democrats, College Democrats of New York, Diane Savino, Eric Adams, Gay, James Alesi, Lesbian, Liz Krueger, Mark Grisanti, Marriage Equality, Marriage Equality Act, Marty Golden, New Yor State, Roy McDonald, Ruben Diaz, Same-Sex Marriage, State Senate, Stephen Saland