Yesterday, the Post reported that Bronx Pride, the Bronx's biggest LGBT group, was moving into the Ruben Diaz Sr. Gardens building, a residential-commercial space funded by State Senator Diaz's non-profit and named after him. And given his extremely anti-gay marriage stance, the Post quoted a source who said that Diaz was "furious. It’s such a direct shot at him." But Diaz tells us that's not true—he actually feels "honored" and "blessed" to have the group in the building and is only furious that the Post reporter didn't include anything he told her! more ›

Bronx State Senator Ruben Diaz Jr. has not been shy about his crusade against gay marriage. In fact, he's done everything he can to stop gay marriage from passing in New York and tried to use his lesbian granddaughter as a prop in his anti-gay marriage rally. So we find it wonderfully fitting that the Bronx's largest gay rights group, Bronx Pride, is moving into new offices in a "building funded by, and named after, the city’s No. 1 gay-marriage opponent, state Sen. Ruben Diaz," according to the Post. more ›

Yesterday was Gay Day for hundreds of New Yorkers who were finally able to tie the knot legally. But it wasn't all adorable photo ops. Oh, no. There were protests, too. And now there is a lawsuit trying to overturn the law that made Gay Day possible in the first place. more ›

We receive a lot of e-mail. Most of these missives are carefully read, discussed at length among the editors, and courteously replied to in a timely fashion—except for the ones that are so bizarre and irrelevant that we're simply afraid to engage the sender. Instead, we'll share them with you. Behold, the eccentric underbelly of the Gothamist inbox: more ›

State Senator Carl Kruger, who was hit with federal corruption charges last week for allegedly taking over $1 million from lobbyists, developers, and health care consultants in exchange for turning Albany their way, was back in Albany yesterday. He said, "am here to represent the people of my district,... I am here to do my job, and that’s what I’m doing today," and referred to speculation about his relationship with a man he shares a house with (the man's mother and brother also live there), "I am not going to comment neither on the case nor my personal life." more ›

What happens when one controversial State Senator accuses another controversial State Senator of swearing at him? Well, it's just confirmation that Albany is where insanity reigns. State Senator Ruben Diaz Sr. (D-Bronx) wants the State Senate to censure Senator Kevin Parker (D-Brooklyn), for Parker's colorful language to convince Diaz to vote for a bill. Diaz said, “Senator Parker was saying eff this, eff that. In front of the ladies. It’s uncalled for. If I want to vote no on something nobody is going to tell me to eff me. What are we, babies?" more ›

Yesterday, the State Senate voted 34 to 27 to pass Governor Paterson's latest budget extender bill. Three Republicans voted with all of the Democrats—except one, Senator Ruben Diaz Sr. (D-Bronx)—to keep the state government running for another week; the Times Union reports, "In doing so, they also approved more than $325 million in mental health and human services cuts set out by Paterson, who last week started inserting components of his full 2010-11 budget into the weekly extenders. While the Assembly easily passed the plan, the closely divided Senate, where Democrats have a slim 32-seat majority, struggled until the end." more ›

Aw, look at this: Senate Majority Leader Pedro Espada Jr. (D-Bronx), who just last week said he wouldn't mind shutting down the government, now says he believes the State Senate will pass the budget extender bill that would keep Albany open. According to WABC 7, he said, "As we vote on the extenders in a bi-partisan way, we will get 32 votes to pass it. There will be no shutdown. But New Yorkers really know that what we really need is a complete fiscal plan for New York state." more ›

With Albany still trying to work out a budget two months after it was due, there's a little more than the usual dysfunction, because now there are threats of a government shutdown and some classic personal slams. Speaking of the latter, here's what Senate Majority Leader Pedro Espada Jr. said of Governor Paterson, "We cannot let an unelected lame-duck governor that no one in the state wants to actually decide this [budget] by himself in a piecemeal fashion." more ›

One of the staunchest opponents to same-sex marriage is a Bronx state senator with two gay brothers, a gay grandchild, and a gay chief counsel. Democrat Ruben Diaz, Sr., a Pentecostal minister, has been a die hard foe of any bill that would legalize gay marriage in New York State, despite his supposedly convivial relationship with many homosexuals. "I love them. I love them," says Díaz, who grew up one of 17 children in Puerto Rico. "But I don’t believe in what they are doing." more ›

The panel to investigate whether State Senator Hiram Monserrate should face disciplinary action, in the wake of his misdemeanor for assaulting his girlfriend, has been set. Senate majority conference leader John Sampson (D-Brooklyn) said, "Violence against women is simply unacceptable and will not be tolerated. It has no place in the world. It has no place in the Senate. As a father with daughters I am not only angry, but I'm pissed off. But as a leader I cannot let my personal feelings supercede the individual rights of each member. While there may be many calls for our colleague to resign, that is his choice and his choice alone." more ›

There's a growing chorus of lawmakers saying that State Senator Hiram Monserrate should step down, now that he's been convicted of a misdemeanor for slashing his girlfriend in the face with a broken glass, but one of Monserrate's Senate colleagues is standing by him. In fact, State Senator Ruben Diaz Sr. said that these demands are "racist." more ›

Governor Paterson may have spent his summer struggling through a legislative mess brought on by the Senate coup and continually sagging poll numbers that threaten the possibility of his 2010 bid, but he wants to make it clear that he hasn't forgotten his pledge to bring gay marriage to New York. Paterson told that he intends to put his same sex marriage bill on the floor when senators convene for a special session he expects to call later this month. Lawmakers are not required to vote on legislation brought up by the governor, but there may be more of a chance for that now that John Sampson is Democratic Conference Leader. Former Majority Leader Malcolm Smith had a deal with the Three Amigos not to bring same sex legislation to the floor. But the most vocal opponent of gay marriage, Senator Ruben Diaz Jr., told the News, "I tell you - as a man, before God - if that issue comes to the floor, there's going to be chaos in the Democratic conference. You can take that to the bank." However Diaz also said, "(But) I'm not going to join the Republicans. Never. Never." more ›

Besides getting some great footage of State Senate Majority Leader Pedro Espada Jr. essentially telling reporters to stop looking into his questionable activities, PolitickerNY's Azi Paybarah has a slideshow from yesterday's State Senators-against-Mayor Bloomberg event titled, "Anatomy of a Bloomberg-Bashing Press Event." Our favorites (and by favorites, we mean the photos and captions that make us cry): Sen. Espada saying, "Where on earth do you get the opportunity to spend hundreds of millions of dollars and not have the public know where its tax dollars are going?" (and Espada knows about pork) and Sen. Ruben Diaz Sr. proclaiming, "You can call us crazy. You can call us dumb. You can call us anything you want. It's not working. It is not working." more ›

Because the two squabbling State Senate factions haven't come to any sort of leadership/power sharing deal, Governor Paterson issued proclamations for the Senators to hold special sessions at 3 p.m. every day through July 6. Which, Capitol Confidential reports, "means that the Senate will be in Albany through the holiday weekend." Nice—you can read the proclamations for July 2, July 3, July 4, July 5 and July 6. more ›

A memo outlining a (now failed) power sharing deal! Plots to overthrow the leader! Gays jamming phone lines! The State Senate Democrats are delivering an end-of-the-year bonanza of insanity for all of us good boys and girls! Or maybe it's because we were bad? more ›