A Bronx city council member said he was treated as an outsider by the chamber because it’s “controlled by the homosexual community,” according to a new report.
“When I get to the City Council, I find that the City Council is controlled — most council members out of 51 council members — over there, everybody is controlled by the homosexual community,” Rubén Díaz Sr. said in an interview with a spanish-language TV program geared toward cab drivers, NY1 reported.
City Council Speaker Corey Johnson, who is gay, called on Diaz to apologize after the NY1 report.
“Council Member Díaz Sr.’s homophobic comments are offensive to both the Speaker and the body, and have no place in New York City,” his communications director told the station in a statement.
“He should apologize to all of his colleagues, and the entire LGBTQ community.”
Díaz Sr., a Pentecostal minister, has vocally opposed same-sex marriage and has been criticized for past homophobic statements.