THOSE BIGOTED RED- BLUE-STATERS! Gay Marriage Overwhelmingly Defeated in NY State Senate.

Well, it must have been those ignorant upstate Republicans, right? But wait: “State Senator Rubén Díaz Sr. of the Bronx made an impassioned argument against same-sex marriage, describing his continued opposition as reflecting the broad consensus that marriage should be limited to a union between a man and woman. ‘Not only the evangelicals, not only the Jews, not only the Muslims, not only the Catholics, but also the people oppose it,’ he said. Of course, to some New Yorkers, the Bronx practically is upstate. But Diaz is a Democrat.

UPDATE: Reader Dave Bosserman writes:

Yes, Ruben Diaz is a Democrat, but you’d never know it by reading your morning newspaper. Here’s how the Associated Press framed it in today’s story: “During the debate, Sen. Ruben Diaz, a conservative minister from the Bronx, led the mostly Republican opposition.”

Following standard policy, the AP does not mention Sen. Diaz’s political party because it doesn’t fit the narrative.

On the other hand, the New York Times did mention it:

The lone opponent to speak in the chamber, Rubén Díaz Sr., a Democrat from the Bronx, invoked his own experiences as a minister to explain his vote, and rejected arguments from other senators that religion should not play a role in deciding who can legally marry in New York. “You should carry your Bible all the time,” Mr. Díaz said.

If he were a white guy from Alabama, Andrew Sullivan would be indulging his wildest urges toward stereotyping. And he wouldn’t be alone.