National
Prominent N.Y. same-sex marriage opponent’s son backs issue
Ruben Diaz, Jr.,’s father spoke at rally against nuptials for gays and lesbians in D.C. on Tuesday

The son of a New York lawmaker who vehemently opposes marriage rights for same-sex couples on Wednesday announced he now supports nuptials for gays and lesbians.
“My decision, which comes after years of thought and reflection on the issue, is informed by the experiences I have had with close friends, family and loved ones,” Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr., said in a statement.
The New York City Democrat cited his gay chief-of-staff Paul Del Duca, his partner and his lesbian niece, Erica Diaz, in his statement. He also noted the passage of New York’s same-sex marriage law in 2011.
“It is my contention that our city and our state are better off than they were before marriage equality became the law,” Ruben Diaz, Jr., said. “Not only has our city seen an incredible financial impact from marriage equality, the quality of life for myself, my family and my friends has not suffered one bit.”
Ruben Diaz, Jr.,’s statement came a day after his father, New York state Sen. Ruben Diaz, Sr., spoke at a rally against marriage rights for same-sex couples on the National Mall as the U.S. Supreme Court justices heard oral arguments in a case that challenges the constitutionality of California’s Proposition 8.
Ruben Diaz, Sr., who is also an evangelical pastor, testified against the same-sex marriage bill before his Senate colleagues narrowly approved it in 2011. LGBT rights advocates in New York have repeatedly blasted him for describing homosexuality as unnatural and equating same-sex sexual activity to bestiality.
“This is not about my dad,” Ruben Diaz, Jr., told the Washington Blade when asked whether he spoke with his father before he announced his position. “This is about an evolution that I’ve had over the last few years. This is about seeing how marriage equality has had a positive effect in New York City and the state of New York.”
Ruben Diaz, Jr., whose office provided grants and other assistance to the Bronx Community Pride Center that closed last year, in 2007 voted against a same-sex marriage bill while he was a member of the state Assembly.
He told the Blade his position on the issue since then has evolved in the same way President Obama, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and others’ have.
“There are still people who are on the fence,” Ruben Diaz, Jr., said. “There are still people who against it today and hopefully we should hope for that those folks at some point get right on the issue as well.”
Political observers in New York with whom the Blade spoke said the Bronx Democrat’s announcement will have little impact.
“Once the president has come out to support gay marriage and once New York State has approved of it, what’s the point of coming out in support of gay marriage,” Juan Manuel Benítez of NY1 Noticias said. “It’s a non-issue politically in the state of New York at this point. And had he wanted to have an impact with his announcement, he could have come out in support of gay marriage when his dad was voting against it in the state Senate when it really did matter back two years ago.”
Gerson Borrero, a columnist for the Spanish-language newspaper El Diario La Prensa, said he feels Ruben Diaz, Jr., announced his support of marriage rights for same-sex couples because he has aspirations to run for city-wide political office. He described the announcement to the Blade as a “hypocritical, opportunistic move,” while adding he should speak out against his father’s anti-gay rhetoric.
“If he’s really for the equality of all human beings, than let him start denouncing every pronouncement—disgraceful pronouncements and hateful pronouncements that his father has made,” Borrero said. “When he does that, then we can believe in Rubencito.”
Ruben Diaz, Sr., did not immediately return the Blade’s request for comment.
State Department
Protesters demand US fully restore PEPFAR funding
Activists blocked intersection outside State Department on Thursday

Dozens of HIV/AIDS activists on Thursday protested outside the State Department and demanded U.S. officials fully restore President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief funding.
The activists — members of Housing Works, Health GAP, and the Treatment Action Group — blocked an intersection for an hour. Health GAP Executive Director Asia Russell told the Washington Blade that police did not make any arrests.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Jan. 24 directed State Department personnel to stop nearly all U.S. foreign aid spending for 90 days in response to an executive order that President Donald Trump signed after his inauguration. Rubio later issued a waiver that allows PEPFAR and other “life-saving humanitarian assistance” programs to continue to operate during the freeze.
The Blade on Wednesday reported PEPFAR-funded programs in Kenya and other African countries have been forced to suspend services and even shut down because of a lack of U.S. funding.
“PEPFAR is a program that has saved 26 million lives and changed the trajectory of the global HIV/AIDS epidemic,” said Housing Works CEO Charles King in a press release. “The recent freeze on its funding is not just a bureaucratic decision; it is a death sentence for millions who rely on these life-saving treatments. We cannot allow decades of progress to be undone. The U.S. must immediately reaffirm its commitment to global health and human dignity by restoring PEPFAR funding.”
“We demand Secretary Rubio immediately reverse his deadly, illegal stop-work order, which has already disrupted life-saving HIV services worldwide,” added Russell. “Any waiver process is too little, too late.”
The White House
Trump bars trans women and girls from sports
The administration reversed course on the Biden-Harris policy on Title IX

President Donald Trump on Wednesday issued another executive order taking aim at the transgender community, this time focusing on eligibility for sports participation.
In a signing ceremony for “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” in the East Room of the White House, the president proclaimed “With this executive order, the war on women’s sports is over.”
Despite the insistence by Trump and Republicans that trans women and girls have a biological advantage in sports over cisgender women and girls, the research has been inconclusive, at best.
A study in the peer reviewed Sports Medicine journal found “no direct or consistent research” pointing to this conclusion. A different review in 2023 found that post-pubertal differences are “reduced, if not erased, over time by gender affirming hormone therapy.”
Other critics of efforts to exclude trans student athletes have pointed to the small number of people who are impacted. Charlie Baker, president of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, testified last year that fewer than 10 of the NCAA’s 522,000+ student athletes identify as trans.
The Trump-Vance administration has reversed course from the Biden-Harris administration’s policy on Title IX rules barring sex-based discrimination.
“If you’re going to have women’s sports, if you’re going to provide opportunities for women, then they have to be equally safe, equally fair, and equally private opportunities, and so that means that you’re going to preserve women’s sports for women,” a White House official said prior to the issuance of the order.
Former President Joe Biden’s Title IX rules, which went into effect last year, clarified that pursuant to the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County (2020), sex-based discrimination includes that which is based on the victim’s sexual orientation or gender identity.
The White House official indicated that the administration will consider additional guidance, regulations, and interpretations of Title IX, as well as exploring options to handle noncompliance by threatening federal funding for schools and education programs.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Trump “does expect the Olympic Committee and the NCAA to no longer allow men to compete in women’s sports.”
One of the first legislative moves by the new Congress last month was House Republicans’ passage of the “Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act,” which would ban trans women and girls from participating in competitive athletics.
The bill is now before the U.S. Senate, where Republicans have a three-seat majority but would need 60 votes to overcome the filibuster.
California
Los Angeles Blade names new publisher
Alexander Rodriguez brings deep media, business experience to outlet

The Los Angeles Blade, Southern California’s leading LGBTQ news outlet, today announced the appointment of a new publisher, Alexander Rodriguez.
Rodriguez has a long background in queer media, business development, and a deep commitment to the Los Angeles community. He has worked as a lead writer and podcast host for Metrosource Magazine and for GED Magazine; content director for FleshBot Gay; and as host and producer for the “On the Rocks” podcast. On the business side, Rodriguez spent years working in business development in the banking industry throughout Los Angeles. He also has an extensive background in event planning and management and has served on the boards of many LGBTQ non-profits. As a TV and radio personality, he has served as emcee for LGBTQ events around the nation.
“I’m excited to bring my diverse media and business experience to the Los Angeles Blade,” Rodriguez said. “We will continue the Blade’s mission of serving as our community’s news outlet of record during these challenging times and work toward building bridges within our community and beyond.”
Rodriguez starts in his new role on Monday, Feb. 3.
“We are thrilled to welcome Alexander to the Blade team,” said Kevin Naff, one of the owners of the Los Angeles Blade. “His multimedia and business side experience will help us grow the Blade in L.A. and continue our commitment to best-in-class journalism serving the LGBTQ community in Southern California.”
Rodriguez becomes the Los Angeles Blade’s second publisher following the unexpected death of founding publisher Troy Masters in December. Masters served in the role for nearly eight years. The community will come together for a celebration of Masters’s life on Monday, Feb. 10, 7-9 p.m. at the Abbey.
“Troy’s legacy is in good hands with Alexander at the helm alongside our new local news editor, Gisselle Palomera,” Naff added.
The Los Angeles Blade, launched in 2017, celebrates its eighth anniversary in March. It is the sister publication of the Washington Blade, founded in 1969, which offers unmatched coverage of queer political news and is the only LGBTQ outlet in the White House press pool and the White House Correspondents’ Association, and the only LGBTQ outlet with a dedicated seat in the White House briefing room.
Alexander Rodriguez can be reached at [email protected].
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