Stonewall Democrats of Western New York recently sent a letter of concern to Darius Pridgen, a candidate for the vacant Ellicott District council seat in the City of Buffalo, and now the candidate recommended by the Erie County Democratic Committee (determined by a vote of committee members.)  Our letter expressed the concerns of many in our community, asking the candidate about his positions on the issues important to us, and to explain how he would legislate from a position of true fairness and equality, and not let any religious views he may have negatively effect his legislating, in light of the fact that he is a religious pastor who has made comments in the past many in our community find troubling. Copies of the letter were also sent to each council member, as well as The Buffalo News.

 Mr. Pridgen has yet to respond. The letter follows in its entirety below:

 Stonewall Democrats of Western New York

PO Box 857 

Buffalo, NY 14205

 January 4, 2010

Darius Pridgen

Subject: Your Candidacy for Ellicott District Councilmember

Dear Mr. Pridgen: 

We are a group of concerned citizens from the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. Our mission is to promote, advocate and fight for equality within all levels of government for the LGBT community. As you know, the Ellicott District is home to a large segment of our community. To our knowledge, your campaign for the Ellicott District Councilmember appointment has not addressed the important issues which are specific to the LGBT community in Ellicott and across the City of Buffalo. We write you today to find out your stances on LGBT issues, as well as address past comments you have made in the media which are offensive and troubling to the LGBT community. We respectfully ask that you respond by the end of this week, on Friday, January 8, 2010.

Our questions, which will accurately gauge the ability of the next Ellicott Councilmember to competently serve all the citizens within his or her district, are the following:

1.) Being that the institution of marriage is still segregated by the state of New York based on sexual orientation, will you support and promote a domestic partner registry to benefit LGBT couples in gaining recognition and protection for their families and relationships in the City of Buffalo?

2.) Would you support and promote a resolution establishing a committee of LGBT citizens which will regularly meet with a committee of law enforcement officers, including the Police Commissioner, to discuss and cooperatively seek resolution to issues and problems facing the LGBT community, including but not limited to discrimination, harassment, hate crime and sensitivity training for police officers?

And lastly, how will you, as the Councilmember representing the Ellicott District, be a just representative of all the citizens in the district you seek to represent, especially the LGBT community? Apart from the issues mentioned in this letter, what issues are important to our community, and how will you serve us as our democratically appointed and elected representative? There are deep concerns within our community that your position as a religious leader conflicts with being able to accurately represent all the citizens within our district.  Ellicott, as it now stands, is an incredibly diverse district, and should have that diversity   represented, celebrated and respected in the office of the Common Council.

Therefore, we are concerned with remarks you have made which are offensive to the LGBT community. The remarks, quoted from an Ethics Newsweekly Viewer's Guide (2003) magazine article, condemn homosexual persons. These remarks, made during a discussion of the disease HIV/AIDS, are as follows:

  “But despite the fact that Pridgen is taking on the AIDS issue directly, he separates support for AIDS patients and the need for prevention from accepting what he cannot condone. He condemns homosexuality and non-marital sex in unambiguous terms. ‘You have to call sin sin, but HIV/AIDS is not the sin, it's the disease,’ he says. ‘Until you separate the sin from the disease, people are not going to get tested.’”

With all due respect, these beliefs, that homosexual persons are living an immoral life, may be in line with the teachings and preaching of some organized religions, such as the organization for which you are a pastor. The right for anyone to hold and express these—or any other— beliefs should never be infringed upon or not respected in this country. In America, we have freedom of religious expression, freedom of speech and a just separation of the church and the state. However, it is nevertheless a problematic situation when a person holds these beliefs, which infringe and cast judgment upon the lives of other citizens, and enters the world of government and public office. The office of a District Councilmember should represent, respect and celebrate the views and lives of all persons and communities within a district; whether that be a family who believes in the preaching of your church or a gay family making a life within the district. These remarks are ones which any citizen of this country would be entitled to making and holding, regardless of who they may or may not offend or unjustly condemn. But were these remarks to be those of a public servant, the offense would be entirely unjustified as these words, coming from an appointed or elected representative, cast judgment and condemn, from a religious standpoint, members of the community which the representative serves. No citizen of the City of Buffalo, or anywhere else, deserves that disrespect from her or his democratically representative government leadership. How do you reconcile remarks such as these with your campaign to become the next Ellicott Councilmember? As Councilmember, how would you work to separate any religious beliefs you may have which would infringe upon the equality and rights of others from your legislative position in government?  

In conclusion, we greatly appreciate your response to our questions and concerns. As a group of LGBT people, many living in the Ellicott District, these issues are of the utmost importance to our citizens and families. These concerns of religion subjectively influencing government and public policy are especially troubling given the recent political climate, which continues to segregate certain civil rights and protections based on sexual orientation. We thank you for your time, and look forward to your response.

Sincerely,

 Bryan Ball

 STONEWALL DEMOCRATS OF WESTERN NEW YORK

CC:

Councilmember Richard Fontana

Councilmember David Franczyk

Councilmember Joseph Golombek, Jr.

Councilmember Michael Kearns

Councilmember Michael J. LoCurto

Councilmember David Rivera

Councilmember Bonnie E. Russell

Councilmember Demone A. Smith

Brian Meyer

 The article of concern, in its entirety.