When Mayor Eric Adams barely mentioned the names of two Hispanic religious leaders to occupy positions in his government team, a “storm” of rejections arose from spokesmen for civil organizations and some elected officials. Now, after being confirmed with two positions in the City, those same groups demand that these appointments be annulled. The reason? They argue that in the past they showed openly homophobic positions.
The municipal president reported this Monday that the former councilman and evangelical pastor Fernando Cabrera will be the main adviser of the newly created Office of Community and Faith-Based Associations , and also that Reverend Erick Salgado will be the outreach assistant for the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA).
The two new City officials not only have in common being of origin Latino and be leaders of Christian churches, but they coincide in a long history, duly documented, of publicly expressed opinions in the past, against the civil rights of LGBTQ communities.
In the midst of strong controversy, one of the organizations that raised the flags of rejection of these appointments was the Society Legal Aid of New York (The Legal Aid Society NY), which in the specific case of Salgado, demanded this Tuesday the Mayor reconsider “immediately” this decision.
“The appointment of anyone with openly expressed intolerant views to a prominent Administration position is an affront to our LGBTQ+ and immigrant communities,” said Hasan Shafiqullah, attorney in charge of The Legal Aid Immigration Law Unit
In the opinion of this activist, such views should “have no quarter” in the City, which should welcome and serve all people, especially those New Yorkers who have been marginalized and stigmatized for their sexual identity for decades.
“Intolerance is not acceptable. We call on Mayor Eric Adams to send a clear message to the diverse communities we serve by immediately rescinding Erick Salgado’s appointment. The city of New York deserves better”, stated Shafigullah.
The spokespersons of this organization for the defense of civil rights stated that the new official who is part of the municipal cabinet, was totally opposed to the same-sex marriage in 2011 and was endorsed in that race by a group that opposes same-sex civil unions in its unsuccessful campaign for Mayor of 2013.
There are other reactions. Councilor Chi Osse, on his twitter account, made a statement on behalf of the