Gay political leader to deal with anti-LGBT lawmaker Ruben Diaz in Congress race

Gay political leader to deal with anti-LGBT lawmaker Ruben Diaz in Congress race

New York City Councilman Ruben Diaz Sr. will challenge versus Ritchie Torres (Andrew Lichtenstein\/Getty)

Gay, black New York councilman Ritchie Torres has actually revealed he will certainly run for Congress, taking on versus anti-LGBT political leader Ruben Diaz Sr.

Torres, that previously made history as the initial out LGBT person to stand for the Bronx on New York City Board, on Monday (July 15) announced a proposal for an open seat in the United States House of Representatives.

The prospect's run is historic, as none of the 10 out LGBT legislators that currently being in your home of Representatives are black.

The out legislator's key competitor, fellow city council participant Ruben Diaz Sr, has a prolonged anti-LGBT record.

Diaz was just one of one of the most popular challengers of equal marriage in the state, regardless of his very own granddaughter being a lesbian.

He declared earlier this year that New York City is \"controlled by the homosexual area,\" as well as has actually faced calls to resign over his assaults on gay city council speaker Corey Johnson.

Sean Meloy of LGBTQ Triumph Fund, which backs varied LGBT prospects in races across the nation, informed The New York Times: \"A Person like Ruben Diaz winning that seat would certainly be a minus ... It would resemble shedding a seat for equality.\"

In his campaign launch video clip, Torres claimed: \"This key offers a stark selection in between a progressive brand-new guard and also a reactionary old guard.

He included: \"I desire my neighbors to claim in the Bronx, 'there's no person who deals with more difficult for us in Washington DC.'

\" I'm not a miracle worker yet I'm a fighter, as well as I'm gon na combat my heart out to make sure that the Bronx obtains its fairshare.

He included: \"Must I have the honour of serving, I'll fight for quality healthcare and housing, schools as well as tasks. I'll stand up for immigrants, seniors, as well as young people.

\" I'll deal with day-to-day to shield our communities from weapon violence and make the Bronx a secure, good, budget-friendly location to live.

\" My motto in life is basic: 'If you do nothing, nothing will alter'. We can develop a better Bronx, yet we need to do it with each other.\"

Do Not Let That Rainbow Logo Design Fool You: These 9 Firms Donated Millions To Anti-Gay Politicians

These are images of company logo designs produced to commemorate the LGBTQ area, by companies that ... [] donated to anti-LGBTQ lawmakers. Photocredit: Popular Information

The largest hazard to this weekend's event of World Pride in New York City City, coinciding with the 50th wedding anniversary of the Stonewall Troubles, isn't from anti-LGBTQ lobbyists or spiritual pressures. It's really from members of the LGBTQ community that are so angry about company participation in this Sunday's Pride March, they've organized a counter-march in protest.

The Queer Freedom March, arranged by the Reclaim Pride Coalition, will certainly be lacking corporate floats. On Sunday morning, they'll tip off from the conventional website of Sheridan Square in Greenwich Village and also head to Central Park. There's no word on how many will take part, in comparison to the millions prepared for to see the 400-plus groups and 100 or more drifts in the main NYC Pride March. That march is readied to start at noontime on Fifth Opportunity at Madison Square Park, comply with a route winding downtown, into the Village as well as back to Chelsea, a much different path than the Queer Freedom March as well as a turnaround of the course of in 2014's New York City Pride March.

Among the floats and also groups in the official march will be a variety of popular company sponsors. Every Satisfaction month, customers see their preferred brands add rainbow stripes to their logos, fly flags from their headquarters structures as well as include attractive gay as well as lesbian pairs to their ads.

Are customers so trustful regarding in fact select to invest their cash on a brand with a rainbow?

As the web site Popular Information kept in mind, a survey by Harris Interactive located \"approximately two-thirds of LGBT grownups, or about 66%, would be extremely or somewhat likely to remain faithful to a company or brand they believed to be supportive of the LGBT area, also when less-supportive competitors used lower costs or higher comfort.\"

Naturally, follow week, the calendar will certainly flip to July, as well as it's buhbye to all the cute gays, sparkly rainbows and also boldly-colored banners zipped big businesses.

They may be removed a couple of days earlier once word goes out regarding the brand-new report Popular Information dealt with with Progressive Buyer. Nine of the greatest, most LGBTQ-supportive companies in America offered about $1 million or even more each to anti-gay politicians in the last political election cycle.

The companies consist of familiar names like AT&T, UPS, Comcast, House Depot and General Electric. All informed, their contributions amounted to nearly $15 million.

The team at Progressive Consumer produced a dataset based on two annual listings assembled by Civil rights Campaign: one called the Corporate Equal Rights Index, the other the HRC Congressional Scorecard. The index ranks more than 1,000 business according to their policies for LGBTQ employees and their public advocacy for LGBTQ creates. And also in the scorecard, HRC gave 228 participants of Congress the most awful possible score: a zero. All of them voted to validate anti-gay participants of the Trump closet, voted to refute medical care to transgender soldiers, and also wouldn't sponsor or co-sponsor any regulation on behalf of LGBTQ rights.

After comparing those two listings, Progressive Customer determined those 9 firms, all of which obtained a best rating on the 2018 equal rights index from HRC. Each of those nine likewise given away concerning $1 million or even more in the last election cycle to politicians that obtained a no on the HRC Congressional scorecard, which the team then gave the attention of Popular Info. The contributions were all from company political activity boards to political leaders or their management Special-interest groups.

\" While the CEI [Corporate Equal Rights Index] records LGBTQ-inclusive policies, methods as well as benefits, there isn't a one-size fits all means to regularly score business on the scope and also effect of their political donations,\" stated HRC nationwide press assistant Sarah McBride in a declaration to Popular Info. \"It is essential for reporting like this [to be done] that asks hard inquiries of companies as well as brings these donations into the public conversation. The Business Equal Rights Index is a critical tool for advancing LGBTQ equal rights in the workplace, but it is not the only device.\"

Those 9 corporations with excellent index scores which made donations to anti-gay politicians from 2017 to 2018, are, in order from many to least:

The grand total amount from all these donations, according to Popular Information and also Progressive Consumer, was $14,891,413. Of the business discussed here, all nine were spoken to for remark and three have reacted. This tale will certainly be updated as added comments are received.

\" FedEx has a long history of participating in the political process, and also we support candidates on both sides of the aisle,\" claimed a speaker in an emailed declaration. \"FedEx is as diverse as the globe we serve. We aim to supply an inclusive work environment in which all staff member really feel secure and also valued.\"

\" Pfizer has a long and pleased history of caring, supporting, and also promoting for the LGBTQ neighborhood, that includes signing on to the Equality Act, submitting a Supreme Court amicus brief on behalf of same-sex marital relationship, as well as keeping an ideal HRC score given that 2004,\" claimed a spokesperson for Pfizer, in an email. \"The choice to contribute to these elected officials was made based upon their support of the biopharmaceutical market and policies that shield technology motivations as well as people' accessibility to medicines and vaccines. In no chance does our assistance translate right into a recommendation of their setting on any kind of social concern.\"

What will the other 6 business state? Possibly, as real-life mafia accountant Otto \"Abbadabba\" Berman was well-known for saying, perhaps one will certainly just tell us it's, \"Absolutely nothing personal, it's simply organization.\"