'Pride Center' Resigns From Jersey City LGBTQ Task Force Over Valentina Gomez Controversy

JERSEY CITY, NJ — The staff of a Pride organization in Hudson County, NJ announced Monday that it's pulling itself out of a Jersey City LGBTQ+ task force due to a controversy surrounding one of the task force members.

The member of Jersey City's task force in question, Jonathan Gomez Noriega, 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 an "Indian hoe."

READ MORE: Aide To Mayor Fulop Donated To Campaign Of Sister, Who Uses Anti-Gay Slurs

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

The Hudson Pride Center, in a message posted below, said the staff would be resigning from the task force because Noriega is a member.

UPDATE: A Jersey City spokeswoman said that Noriega will leave the LGTBQ+ Task Force. However, he has not left his job as a mayoral aide. See the city's statement here.

See the message from the Hudson Pride Center below.

Noriega, an aide to Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, swam for Colombia in the Olympics years ago.

Both Jersey City Councilman Frank Gilmore and Councilman James Solomon have responded to the controversy. See their comments here.