Jonathan Gomez-Noriega, an aide to Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, has indicated he will be leaving the city’s LGBTQ+ Task Force after donating to his sister’s hate-filled campaign and calls for him to resign escalated.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
Valentina Gomez, a Republican candidate for Secretary of State in Missouri, has gained notoriety in recent months for posting videos on her social media with inflammatory, anti-gay rhetoric.
“These f****ts should get their own f****t category because before if a man hit a woman it used to land him in jail. Now it gets you a gold medal at the Olympics,” she said in a video that went viral on X, with over $18.4 million views despite being given limited visibility for violating the platforms rules on hateful speech.
Campaign finance records show that Gomez-Noriega has donated $1,250 to his sister’s bid for public office, with the most recent being $500 on July 12th, as the Jersey City Times first reported, drawing the ire of Valentina Gomez.
Last night, Ward F Councilman Frank “Educational” Gilmore, via X, called on Fulop to remove Gomez-Noriega from the task force, prompting a harsh response from Valentina Gomez.
“Yes please! Appoint him to more useful boards instead of that gay shit. He’s an American citizen and can do what he wants with his money. Gotta give credit to @StevenFulop
who is the only Democrat mayor that has actually done right for the city he leads,” she wrote.
“Frank, you’re a felon and drug dealer just like George Floyd and you conned your way into city council by using your black card. You moved drugs that killed countless innocent human beings. I move the hearts and minds of millions of patriots that are fed up with criminals like you. We are not the same.”
While Gilmore did not respond, his colleague, Ward E Councilman James Solomon, was quick to defend him and denounce the rhetoric of Valentina Gomez.
“.@ValentinaForSOS I can see why you left Jersey City – this pathetic, weird, offensive shit done for a glimpse of relevance doesn’t fly here. @EducationalGil1 is an extraordinary public servant, and we are lucky to have him on our council,” the downtown councilman tweeted.
“All members on the LGBTQ+ Task Force must forcefully condemn hate or leave. It’s paramount that task force members not only be trusted by their peers, but that they are a true representation of the LGBTQ+ community her in Jersey City,” he told HCV.
In light of an Action Network petition started by the JC LGBTQ+ Alliance Against Hate, as well as the aforementioned interactions on social media, Hudson Pride Center Executive Director Liz Schedl said she and her members would be leaving the task force.
She also urged Fulop to remove Jonathan Gomez as soon as possible.
“It is with a heavy heart that I announce the resignation of myself and the other staff members of the Hudson Pride Center from Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop’s LGBTQ+ Task Force,” she said in a statement.
“This decision comes after careful consideration and is in response to the continued refusal of Jonathan Gomez-Noriega, an aide to Mayor Fulop and a member of the Task Force, to condemn the hateful and divisive anti-LGBTQ rhetoric espoused by his sister, Victoria Gomez, a candidate for Secretary of State in Missouri … We call on Mayor Steven Fulop to take immediate and decisive action by removing Jonathan Gomez-Noriega from the Task Force. Our commitment to justice and equality demands nothing less.”
In addition to Schedl, the seven-member Jersey City LGBTQ+ Task Force included Hudson Pride members Joseph Zapata and Joseph Cameron, according to the city’s website.
In a reply to this reporter on X, Fulop said he concurred with Schedl and that Gomez-Noriega indicated he would be submitting a letter resigning from the task force today with additional commentary.
“I agree with Liz and importantly Jon indicated he was resigning the task force (letter to be sent today). He also indicated he would be sending a more detailed public explanation of how his personal views don’t align with his sister’s extreme/disgusting views (we will wait to see his comments),” the mayor wrote.
City spokeswoman Kimberly Wallace-Scalcione reiterated that Gomez-Noriega would be leaving the task force and defended Fulop’s record with the LGBTQ+ community.
“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,” she said in a statement.
“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.”
In a lengthy statement on X, Gomez-Noriega touted his track record and noted that he doesn’t support hate speech of any kind.
“Let me be clear: I do not support any hateful remarks directed toward the LGBTQ+ community or any individual. I am formally stepping down from the Mayor’s LGBTQ+ Task Force and look forward to continue serving the people of Jersey City, focusing on a future where meritocracy and results matter most,” he wrote.
“My life is a testimony of philanthropy, dedication, and excellence. I may not agree with everything my sister says, but I love her. It’s this kind of boldness—stepping up for my family and maintaining our relationship—that makes our country strong. Political differences should not destroy families.”
Late this afternoon, Hudson County Executive Craig Guy, also the chair of the Hudson Democrats who has endorsed U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-5) for governor over Fulop, called on the mayor’s aide to be fired from his post.
“I am profoundly troubled that the Jersey City leadership did not demand for Jonathan Gomez Noriega’s resignation from the LGBTQ+ Advisory Committee until now. While it is a step forward that his departure now appears imminent, this action alone does not suffice,” he began in a statement.
“High-level government positions should never be safe havens for bigotry and hatred. Jersey City must take immediate action to remove Gomez Noriega from his post entirely.”
He also called it “shameful that the toxic rhetoric of the Trump era” has hit home, adding that he stands with the local LGBTQ+ community, Hudson Pride, and Gilmore, who all took a stand against Valentina Gomez.
Editor’s note: This story was updated with a comment from Jonathan Gomez-Noriega and Hudson County Executive Craig Guy.
That is a patronage job. WTF does the sexual deviants task force actually do? So he moves on to another patronage job. What is the big deal?
You sound like a b*tch. Real men are back.
Isn’t that Missouri lady a closeted lesbian? Or a Tranny? Have you seen “her” Adam’s Appls?