PRO- GAY ‘ BIAS’
Why Stringer nixed my wife’s job: pol
Bronx state Sen. Ruben Diaz Sr. claims city Comptroller Scott Stringer retracted a job offer to Diaz’s wife because she opposes samesex marriage.
The accusations of intolerance and religious bias follow complaints from Leslie Diaz of her failure to secure a job in the Comptroller’s Office last year.
“After being interviewed on three different occasions by Mr. Stringer’s office, she was offered a position which she accepted, resigning from the job she held in the Bronx,” Sen. Diaz said in an enewsletter.
“Two days before her expected start date for her new position, she got a phone call informing her that Scott Stringer had just received a copy of a video that shows Leslie standing and participating with me — her husband— at a peaceful demonstration that we held in opposition to samesex marriage,” the state senator, who is a Pentecostal minister, added. “During that phone conversation, my wife was informed that because of that video, where we were expressing, as US citizens, our religious beliefs and our constitutional right to assemble, the comptroller rescinded his job offer.”
Diaz accused Stringer of hypocrisy for not practicing what he preaches by not respecting the rights of all New Yorkers.
“My wife Leslie was left high and dry and unemployed — and only because, according to Scott Stringer, there is no place in his taxpayerfunded office for those whose core religious beliefs oppose samesex marriage. What a shame! And then he talks about ‘ tolerance?’ ”
The senator continued his complaint against the comptroller, saying the rejection of his wife shows that “Mr. Stringer has been using his office and public funds to screen out those not in favor of samesex marriage, denying them employment in his office, violating the law and discriminating against people of faith who reject marriage between samesex people.
“You should know that the Equal Employment Opportunity laws of the State and City of New York mandate than [ sic] an employer cannot discriminate in hiring because of sex, color, race, nationality, religion, sexual preference, etc.,” Diaz said.
Stringer’s team denied the Diaz claim as “nonsense.”
“Leslie Diaz was never offered a position in the Comptroller’s Office,” said Stringer spokesman John McKay. “It’s no surprise that Senator Diaz is making inflammatory statements against pro-same-sex-marriage elected officials to advance his own agenda.”
McKay insisted the comptroller does not weed out job applicants based on their religious belief or position on samesex nuptials, saying Stringer has been a “vocal champion of equal rights of all New Yorkers.”