News

ALBANY, New York, June 7, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The New York politician leading the charge for true marriage in the state says he has faced death threats and a barrage of hate calls as a result of his stand.

Image

“I continue to be the target of a vulgar campaign by seething extremists who oppose my defense of New York’s marriage laws,” said Democrat State Senator Ruben Diaz Sr. in a May 26th press release.  “As a Christian, of course I love those who hate me and I will continue to pray for their souls.”

On May 10th, one homosexual activist upset over the legislator’s May 15th Rally to Protect Marriage wrote on Twitter that he wanted to sexually assault Diaz’s daughter.  And an online forum for homosexuals called The New Gay is organizing a “F*** Ruben Diaz Festival” in Brooklyn for June 11th.

The group called for written entries in which contestants are to “imagine a day” in Diaz’s life.  “Is he downtown scoring poppers? … Is he waking up in a tangle of hard man-bodies after a raging orgy? … Feel free to put Ruben in whatever ridiculous scenario you want,” they write.

“I don’t see this as a personal attack so much as one of those kind of ‘laugh to keep from crying’ sort of things,” organizer Andrew Steinkuehler told the New York Daily News.

Diaz says he has reported the death threats to the FBI and the police departments of New York and Albany, and has reiterated his commitment to defending true marriage.

“My position on marriage as defined between a man and a woman is no different than the position of many other Christians,” he said in his press release.  “The United States Constitution guarantees us all the right to freedom of – not freedom from – religion.”

He urged New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and the state’s legislators to “take a close look at the hard core and vulgar tactics that are being used to change a law in New York State.”

“I urge all to compare my non-violent, peaceful and prayerful rallies to protect marriage and the attempts to humiliate me because of my one vote in the State Senate,” he added.

Though Diaz’s colleagues in the legislature have failed to defend him – with one Bronx source telling New York Daily News it’s because “the feeling is that you reap what you sow” – Diaz was supported June 3rd by the New York Catholic Conference, the public policy arm for New York’s Catholic bishops.

The fierce attacks the bishops received when they opposed same-sex “marriage” in 2009 is “small potatoes” compared to the “hate speech” that’s been thrown at Sen. Diaz, wrote executive director Richard Barnes in a Facebook note.

“Where is the outrage in the media? Where is the cry for tolerance and justice for Rev. Diaz against these hate purveyors?” Barnes asked.  “The answer, sadly, is that there is no outcry. Are they saving it for after something truly awful happens to this good man? Until the hate that is being incited boils over into violent behavior?”

“The entire campaign to enact same-sex marriage is conducted under a banner of acceptance, and equality and respect for others,” Barnes continued.  “Yet behind that banner of tolerance is another campaign – of intimidation, threats and ugliness. What at first appears to be simple juvenile behavior by a few is becoming a culture and climate of abusiveness toward those who disagree.”

“Is this the future we look forward to in our state? Intolerance masquerading as tolerance, intimidation in the name of respect?” he added.  “I hope not, but the wind certainly seems to be blowing in that direction.”