STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Ron Castorina declared victory on Election Night making him Staten Island’s first openly gay Republican Supreme Court judge.
Speaking about his partner, Tom, who he has been with for 11 years, may have come as a surprise to some — but to those who know Castorina personally, it was no shocker.
The former assemblyman told the Advance/SILive.com that he has never been secretive about who he is or who he loves. He’s a private person who doesn’t share much — in line with his Conservative values — especially on social media, where he’ll often post about food and his dog.
“I don’t talk about my lifestyle; it’s just not something I talk about with everybody all the time – it’s not my focal point. I’m Ron – I’m a friend, I’m a brother, I’m a son, and I happen to be gay. It’s not ‘I’m gay’ and all these other things and I think that’s an important distinction,” Castorina said.
His reason for getting up on stage and announcing it in front of hundreds of people?
“I wanted to acknowledge my partner and share that moment on stage with [him]. And then there’s this notion that sometimes you have to be the change you want to see in the world and frankly, it was more a message about the people up on that stage, the Staten Island Republican Party, and how accepting they are,” he said.
He also wanted to share what he says is a very important message: you can be who you are and you don’t have to change your values.
During his victory speech he said, “You can be a gay Republican and you can still be conservative, and you don’t have to be gay the way they want you to be gay.”
People who identify as part of the LBGTQA community, he said, are often pigeonholed into how people think they should be and are assumed to be of a certain ideological or political bent.
“It doesn’t have to be that way. You can be gay, you can be conservative and gay, and you can be in an accepting environment with people who love and respect you,” he said.
“There are lots of young, Conservatives who happen to be gay. And the truth is that they shouldn’t have to abandon their values, their ideology to live their lifestyle. They shouldn’t have to do that,” he continued.
The love and acceptance he’s received from his colleagues and friends — Councilman Joe Borelli (R-South Shore), former Councilman Vincent Ignizio, and Councilman-elect David Carr (R-Mid-Island), to name a few — has been overwhelming.
“This party is a party of acceptance — and I’m talking about the Staten Island GOP. You should feel comfortable being who you are with these folks,” he said.
BEING AMONG THE FIRST OPENLY GAY REPUBLICAN POLITICIANS ON STATEN ISLAND
Republican David Carr declared victory in the 50th City Council District, which serves the borough’s Mid-Island.
Mid-Island Councilman-elect David Carr said being one of Staten Island’s first openly gay Republican politicians is a good thing as long as politicians will move away from “identity politics” and continue to focus on candidates, politicians and their abilities without a focus on who they love.
“I’m proud of who I am, but my being among the first gay Republicans elected to public office in New York State is only a good thing if it brings us closer to the day when identity politics no longer matters and the focus is where it should be, which is on how well a candidate will do the job of serving their community,” Carr.
After his June primary night and Election night victories, Carr thanked his boyfriend, as well as his friends and family, for their continued support during his campaign.
He continued, “That’s the decision the Staten Island Republican party always makes when it makes its endorsements and I was no exception. And that’s why it meant so much to me because it was about how am I going to live up to the standards of a Mid-Island Republican councilmember — set by John Fusco, James Oddo and Steve Matteo. They believed I could and that’s what spurred me to run, and win this race and [it] will continue to motivate me to do the best job I can while I’m in office.”
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