A member of the City Council in Hoboken, New Jersey recently found himself the target of anti-gay comments by a local blogger with ties to the mayor. First Ward Councilmember Mike DeFusco–a Victory Fund-endorsed candidate–was attacked on Grafix Avenger, a local blog run by Nany Pincus, who once contracted with Mayor Ravinder Bhalla’s campaign.
The post singles out the councilmember’s social media, where he has occasionally made posts promoting a healthy lifestyle through working out. The blog post mocks his posts, veering into unnecessarily homophobic territory: “Make today count! Out on a run! What next? Chin-ups on the men’s room stall? Arm-pit sniffing? Oh, we are enthralled,” Pincus wrote.
“The use of homophobic and disturbing language against anyone, including an openly gay councilman, cannot be dismissed or tolerated in any of our neighborhoods,” said Lauren Albrecht, chair of the New Jersey State Democratic Committee LGBTQ Caucus.
“Comments like this are purposely intended to make negative and passive inferences to the LGBTQ community and only aim to set us back in the progress we have made to achieve true equality. Councilman DeFusco has always been a great friend to the LGBTQ community and now it’s time for everyone in Hoboken to take a stand against remarks that attack a public servant for his sexuality.”
We couldn’t agree more. Chip in today to help Councilmember DeFusco fight these homophobic attacks.
The first openly gay elected official in Hudson County, Councilmember DeFusco has played an instrumental role in making Hoboken more welcoming and accepting. He helped lead Hoboken to a perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign’s Municipal Equality Index. As the Chairman of the Hudson County LGBTQ Caucus, he’s working closely with all 12 municipalities to better serve the growing LGBTQ community.
Councilmember DeFusco is currently running for reelection. Election Day is November 5.
