Aide To Jersey City Mayor Fulop Supported Candidate Valetina Gomez, Who Used Anti-Gay Slur

JERSEY CITY, NJ — An aide to Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop is under fire for donating money to his sister — a candidate for Missouri secretary of state who has called homosexuality "disgusting" and this week referred to Vice President Kamala Harris as a "hoe."

Residents and a local councilman are particularly upset because aide Jonathan Gomez Noriega serves on Jersey City's LGBTQ+ Task Force.

Noriega's sister, Valentina Gomez, has posted a stream of messages on Twitter against homosexuals. She's one of eight candidates in the Republican primary for Missouri secretary of state, with the election looming Tuesday.

UPDATE: A Jersey City spokeswoman said Noriega will leave the LGTBQ+ Task Force. But she did not respond when asked about his "aide" position. Hours later, Fulop, in a Tweet responding to Valentina Gomez, said he's being fired.

The Jersey City Times first reported on Friday that Noriega has made several donations to his sister's campaign.

Vanentina Gomez responded to the news story by writing:

"I love my brother and the beautiful thing about America is that we can have different opinions. He’s the best Olympic Democrat in Jersey City’s history and a proud donor ($50/month) to the best and most beautiful Republican candidate in history, ME! Our family gatherings are [fire.]
You people are p-----s for not asking for my statement. But here ya go."

Noriega, who swam for Colombia in the Olympics, responded, "Love you too."

Some in Jersey City found the show of sibling support out of line, considering he's helping elect someone who frequently refers to the gay community as "f-----s."

Jersey City Councilman Frank Gilmore wrote on Twitter on Sunday, "Mayor @StevenFulop you must remove Johnathan from the LGBTQ task force. He can not contribute financially to a candidate who direct hate speech to the LGBTQ community and be expected to properly represent said community."

Another resident wrote: "You need to step down from the LGBTQ task force, my dude. You can love your sister all you want, but you’re publicly supporting her calling us f----s while pretending to protect us."

Gomez replied to Councilman Gilmore's post by writing, "Yes please! Appoint him to more useful boards instead of the gay s---." She posted a photo with her brother in Times Square.

Later on Monday morning, Downtown Jersey City Councilman James Solomon entered the fray, posting on Twitter to defend Gilmore and address Gomez. He wrote, "I can see why you left Jersey City — this pathetic, weird, offensive s--- done for a glimpse of relevance doesn't fly here."

Residents Start Petition

A group of residents has started a petition asking the Jersey City council and Democratic Mayor Fulop, who's running for governor in New Jersey, to remove Gomez.

"There have been instances of behavior that contradict the values of the task force and undermine the trust and safety of those it is meant to protect," the petition says. "From October 12, 2023 to July 12, 2024 Mr. Gomez Noriega made several donations in support of a family member’s political campaign. This family member is an outspoken opponent of LGBTQ+ rights. His statement in response to his actions was unacceptable."

Councilman Gilmore posted one of Valentina Gomez's most recent videos, in which she complains, "These f----s should get their own f-----t category...these are the worst Olympics in history," referencing the controversy surrounding boxer Imane Khelif.

'We Got All The Guns'

Some observers said she's just trying to gain fame, with one accusing her of "veteran cosplay."

Campaign videos show her posting with guns, rapping about politics, and in one, denouncing Black Lives Matter.

"We got all the guns, food, ammunition, and we can have babies," she says in a recent social media post.

A political observer noted that with so many Republicans splitting the vote on Tuesday, she does have a chance to win.

Another suggested that Republicans publicly denounce her, posting, "It’s one thing to hold conservative beliefs; it’s another thing entirely to celebrate the hatred of an entire group of people."

By 10 a.m. Monday morning, Twitter had put a note for "hateful conduct" on Gomez' Sunday post that refers to Vice President Harris an "Indian hoe" and advocates "fat and slut shaming." However, 1.6 million people had already seen the post.

Update From Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop's Office

After noon on Monday, Fulop's spokeswoman sent Patch this statement:

Earlier this morning, Jonathan communicated that he would release a more detailed statement along with his resignation from the committee by the end of today.

We are thankful for Elizabeth’s work at Hudson Pride and have made it explicitly clear that the views expressed a thousand miles away in Missouri are shameful and have no place here in Jersey City, where Mayor Fulop’s record of leadership and action goes above and beyond to support the LGBTQ+ community, establishing Jersey City has the country’s most LGBTQ+ friendly city and earning the city a perfect score in LGBTQ+ rights and equality for 11 consecutive years from the nationwide Human Rights Campaign’s Municipal Equality Index.

UPDATE: Late On Monday Morning, A Hudson County Pride Organization Withdrew From The Jersey City Task Force. See Their Message In Full Here.