Rubén Díaz Sr (born April 22, 1943)[1] is a Puerto Rican politician from New York City and an ordained Pentecostal minister.

[3] A member of the Democratic Party, Díaz represented the 32nd district in the New York State Senate from 2003 to 2017; his Senate district included parts of the Bronx neighborhoods of Castle Hill, Parkchester, Morrisania, Hunts Point, Melrose, Longwood, and Soundview.

A socially conservative Democrat,[4][5][6] Díaz is known for his outspoken opposition to abortion[7] and same-sex marriage.

[8] Born and raised in Bayamón, Puerto Rico, Díaz served in the United States Army beginning in 1960,[9] ultimately obtaining an honorable discharge[10] three years later.

Also in 1965, Díaz pleaded guilty to marijuana and heroin possession charges and was sentenced to probation.

[15] In 1993, Díaz was appointed to serve on New York City's Civilian Complaint Review Board.

[9] In 1994, while on the Civilian Complaint Review Board, Díaz was critical of the city hosting the Gay Games, claiming that doing so would lead to an increase in AIDS cases and to wider acceptance of homosexuality by young people.

[16] Díaz wrote that hosting the Games would lead children "to conclude that if there are so many gay and lesbian athletes then there is nothing wrong, nor any risks involved.

[31] Díaz created controversy in February 2019 after asserting that the City Council was "controlled by the homosexual community".

[36][37] Díaz has taken prominent public positions against abortion[38][39][40] and against embryonic stem cell research.

Governor David Paterson—sought to pass same-sex marriage legislation, Díaz opposed the bill and was highly critical of Democratic support for it.

[53] In a November 2009 piece in The New York Times, Díaz was quoted as saying that he "love[s]" his gay and lesbian relatives, but "[doesn't] believe in what they are doing".

"[54] On December 2, 2009, Díaz voted against same-sex marriage legislation, which failed to pass the Senate.

"[58] Díaz reported receiving numerous death threats, and a New York gay bar said it would hold a "Fuck Ruben Diaz" event.

[61] In 2017, Díaz helped to prevent the passage of the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA), a transgender rights bill, by voting against it in committee.