CONTACTStaffCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
© 2024 Pride Publishing Inc.
All Rights reserved
All Rights reserved
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
New York state senate majority leader John Sampson, under fire from gay activists for his support of Democratic colleagues who voted against marriage equality, did not attend a re-election fund-raiser for state senator Ruben Diaz, Sr. on Thursday.
Sen. Sampson lent his name as a cohost of the fund-raiser, which activist group Queer Rising protested on a dreary late afternoon in the Bronx. Organizer Natasha Dillon told The Advocate that Sampson did not show, and that the only state senator seen was the troubled Pedro Espada, Jr., who faces a strong primary challenge and is under state and federal investigation.
Dillon said that Diaz tried to avoid the protesters.
"Diaz Sr. attempted to sneak in the back door, but one of our members saw so he came through the front door," she emailed.
Late Friday afternoon, Queer Rising released a video of protesters
yelling "Shame!" as Diaz entered the fund-raiser. Watch it below.
A Sampson spokesman said that the senator had a prior engagement, but that his nonappearance does not indicate wavering support for Diaz.
"The senator had a previous commitment which had taken him out of New York City for the day," said Austin Shafran.
Sampson, a senator from Brooklyn, faced a boisterous reception Saturday at a brunch with the Stonewall Democratic Club of New York City. Attendees demanded to know how Sampson could express support for marriage equality while supporting the reelection bids of Diaz and Shirley Huntley of Queens, two Democrats who voted against the marriage equality bill that failed by a wide margin last year. Stonewall and other groups, including the Empire State Pride Agenda, the Human Rights Campaign and Marriage Equality New York, support the Diaz and Huntley primary challengers, who are for equality.
Sampson, who voted for the marriage equality bill, insisted on the imperative to maintain and grow the Democrats' slim 32-30 majority before taking another vote, for which he refused to provide a timeline.
Want more breaking equality news & trending entertainment stories?
Check out our NEW 24/7 streaming service: the Advocate Channel!
Download the Advocate Channel App for your mobile phone and your favorite streaming device!
From our Sponsors
Most Popular
Here Are Our 2024 Election Predictions. Will They Come True?
November 07 2023 1:46 PM
Meet all 37 of the queer women in this season's WNBA
April 17 2024 11:24 AM
17 Celebs Who Are Out & Proud of Their Trans & Nonbinary Kids
November 30 2023 10:41 AM
Which State Is the Queerest? These Are the States With the Most LGBTQ+ People
December 11 2023 10:00 AM
These 27 Senate Hearing Room Gay Sex Jokes Are Truly Exquisite
December 17 2023 3:33 PM
10 Cheeky and Homoerotic Photos From Bob Mizer's Nude Films
November 18 2023 10:05 PM
42 Flaming Hot Photos From 2024's Australian Firefighters Calendar
November 10 2023 6:08 PM
These Are the 5 States With the Smallest Percentage of LGBTQ+ People
December 13 2023 9:15 AM
Here are the 15 gayest travel destinations in the world: report
March 26 2024 9:23 AM
Watch Now: Advocate Channel
Trending Stories & News
For more news and videos on advocatechannel.com, click here.
Trending Stories & News
For more news and videos on advocatechannel.com, click here.
Latest Stories
The top 10 gayest NBA mascots, ranked
May 02 2024 3:38 PM
Pride
Yahoo FeedSpice up your space with the top 10 sexiest queer art on The Pride Store
May 02 2024 1:43 PM
‘World’s Strongest Gay’ retiring from professional strongman competition
May 02 2024 12:09 PM
Anti-Trans Legislative Risk Assessment Map: May 2024 Update
May 02 2024 12:05 PM
Arkansas sued over new restrictions on driver's license gender markers
May 02 2024 11:26 AM
No, Drew Barrymore, we are not your 'Momala'
May 02 2024 10:53 AM