Bronx News Roundup, June 28

Apologies for the lateness of today's roundup--we're busy going to press with the latest Norwood News, which will be out tomorrow. Here are some other Bronx headlines to keep you up-to-date in the meantime.

Weather: Cloudy and around 80 degrees this afternoon, with thunderstorms expected later tonight.

Gay Bronxites and their straight allies are basking in Friday's historic decision by the state legislature to legalize same-sex marriage. Last week, Bronx Community Pride Center became the first local LGBT group to ring the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange.

Tomorrow: Bronx Rally for Marriage Equality

A number of LGBT advocacy groups and several local elected officials will be demonstrating tomorrow afternoon on the steps of the Bronx County Courthouse in support of marriage equality.

The rally was organized by Bronx Rainbow Independent Democratic Association and Marriage Equality New York.

Expected to attend: State Senators Jose M. Serrano, Gustavo Rivera, Jeff Klein and Adriano Espaillat, Assemblymembers Carmen Arroyo, Jeffrey Dinowitz and Jose Rivera and NYC Councilmember Maria del Carmen Arroyo.

According to a press release, the event is in part a response to State Sen. Ruben Diaz, Sr.'s controversial March 15 parade against the passage of a gay marriage bill for New York. 

The rally will start at 2 p.m. at the Bronx Courthouse, 851 Grand Concourse at 161st Street.

In Wake of Bias Attacks, a Push to Build a More Tolerant Bronx

Earlier this month, gay rights advocates and a few dozen Bronx residents and community leaders met in Morris Heights to discuss ways to combat hate and promote tolerance in the borough. 

The town hall-style meeting was held on Dec. 9 at Davidson Community Center, a short walk from the vacant house on Osborne Place where several young men were were viciously beaten in early October. Police say they were assaulted because they were gay or perceived to be gay.

While condemning the attacks, the Bronx Community Pride Center, one of the non-profits behind the event, hopes some good can come of them; that the attacks can kick-start a borough-wide conversation and ultimately prevent future hate crimes. 

At the meeting, Ephraim Cruz, co-founder of the political group Bronx for Change, said it was time to call out the politicians and religious leaders who spout hate speech about homosexuals.

"The hate speech is a precursor to the violence," Cruz said. "If young people see our politicians speaking ill about gays and no one checks this, it sends a message."

I don't think Cruz mentioned him by name, but he was clearly referring to Rev. Ruben Diaz, Sr., the outspoken state senator and gay marriage opponent who once compared homosexuality to bestiality. Cruz, it should be said, has a vested interest in seeing Diaz hurt politically; another of Bronx for Change's founders, Charlie Ramos, challenged Diaz in September's Democratic primary. Cruz has previously criticized the reverend's son, Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr., for not standing up to his father on this issue.

Others at the meeting, while supporting the need to challenge bigotry, advocated a more conciliatory approach, saying it was important to engage those with opposing views, not shut them out.

Dirk McCall (file photo by Alex Kratz)

Dirk McCall, the Bronx Community Pride Center's new executive director, and one of the panelists, said that while he and, say, a Pentecostal minster, may never see eye-to-eye on gay marriage, they should be able to find some common ground, and agree that the attacks, and all violent acts, are wrong. "If we can get them [churches] on the record saying the attacks are wrong, then that's a start," McCall said.   

Added an audience member: “Personally, I hate it when people say ‘Let’s agree to disagree,” because that’s when the conversation is over."

"Coming Out" Event at Hostos Tonight

 The New York Times' Sam Dolnick had a story today--in the wake of the heinous bias attacks that happened two weeks ago--about the hardships of being openly gay in the Bronx.

"Gay and lesbian residents said it can be especially difficult to be gay in the Bronx, given the macho culture of the street, the local gang codes and the rise of storefront churches that call homosexuality a sin," the story reads. Click here for the rest of the article. 

"The outer boroughs, areas outside of lower Manhattan, remain homophobic areas," said Brad Cauthen of Bronx Aids Services, which runs a 16-week program for gay men of color that focuses on sexuality, health and self-esteem. You can find out more about the program by calling them at (718) 295-5690. Here's their website.

There are other resources available to the LGBT community in the Bronx. The Bronx Community Pride Center and the Hispanic Aids Forum are two organizations worth checking out.

Tonight, Hispanic Aids Forum is sponsoring a "Coming Out" event at Hostos Community College's Repertory Theatre from 6-9 p.m. See the flyer below for more details. 
Coming Out Event

Headlines in Wake of Bronx Gay Bias Attacks

The Bronx--and the rest of the country--is reeling after last week's horrific antigay attacks, in which a group of men who call themselves the "Latin King Goonies" sodomized and tortured a 30-year-old gay man and two 17-year-olds they suspected of having had sex with him.

The violence comes after the suicides of five gay teenagers across the country over the last month, all of  whom were tormented in school for being gay. Yesterday was National Coming Out Day, and today, Oct. 12, is the 12 year anniversary of Matthew Shephard's death, the 21-year-old gay college student from Laramie, Wyoming, who was brutally beaten and left tied to a fence to die in 1998.

Last week's beatings took place in an abandoned building in Morris Heights, while the suspected ringleader of the gang is a 23-year-old man from Bedford Park.

"The Bronx is hanging its head in shame," this week, writes Daily News columnist Bob Kappstatter. "As if it needed another bad rap, the utter stupidity and vile hatred of some punk gangbangers gave the borough a new black eye."