LGBT Group Moves Into Building Named for Antigay Lawmaker

Bronx Pride, the New York City borough's largest LGBT rights group, will open its new headquarters Monday -- in a building named for antigay state senator Ruben Diaz Sr.

The group is moving into the Reverend Ruben Diaz Gardens, a two-year-old building financed by the city Housing and Development Corp. and backed by the lawmaker's nonprofit organization, the New York Post reports.

"I hope people say, 'Wow, they're reclaiming this building for the LGBT community!'" executive director Dirk McCall told the Post, laughing. "We're very excited."

It's merely coincidental, though, that the group is moving into the building, McCall said. Diaz, however, is said to be unhappy about the new tenant. "It's such a direct shot at him," a source told the paper.

Diaz, who represents a Bronx district, was the lone Senate Democrat to oppose the marriage equality law passed by both houses of the state legislature and signed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo in June. A Pentecostal minister, Diaz has called acceptance of same-sex marriage a sign of the apocalypse.