Andres Duque: Betrayed By Monserrate

My friend Andres Duque, who blogs at Blabbeando, writes today of his former friendship with Hiram Monserrate, whom Andres took to Monserrate's first gay bar and who in 2008 bestowed a proclamation honoring Andres' "passionate fight for the recognition of same-sex partnerships." A snippet:

I might not consider myself to idolize political leaders but Hiram, at one point, was my hero. As a Latino political representative he not only broke the mold of other Latino political leaders in the city who are beholden to nepotism, allegiance to stagnant Democratic powers, and run based only on their ethnic identity, he also showed that he could represent the interests of the borough outside his Latino identity. Few will understand the extreme disappointment some of us feel about his latest turns and I told him as much last week when I wrote to him and said I would not be voting for him.

Read the entire essay, it's full of betrayal and disappointment. And if you live in Queens, get to the polls. They're open until 8pm.