An aide to Democratic Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop was fired on Monday after donating $500 and refusing to forcefully denounce his sister’s campaign for Missouri Secretary of State.
State campaign finance records show that Jonathan Gomez contributed $500 in aggregate to his sister’s campaign, which went viral in May for her comments discouraging people to “be weak and gay.”
Valentina Gomez posted audio Monday night of Fulop telling Gomez to publicly denounce Gomez’s rhetoric during her Secretary of State campaign.
“If you think that is boldness, I am going to fire you,” Fulop said in the recording. “I’m going to look in five minutes, if it’s not clear where you stand, then you’re not with me. You’re with her and you can’t work with me, period.”
“Huge lawsuit incoming. God & the truth are with us,” Valentina Gomez captioned the video.
Fulop not only went through with the threat but posted text messages showing exactly what was demanded of his former aide.
“The only thing that matters was one sentence: ‘To be clear, I do not support my sister’s hateful speech or campaign. I love her as my sister but I don’t condone her actions that have become progressively more vile over the last few months,” one text read.
“Anything less isn’t acceptable and doesn’t reflect the values of our office,” Fulop added.
The exchange between Fulop and Valentina Gomez occurred several hours after Jonathan Gomez posted a statement to X distancing himself from his sister’s rhetoric, though it appeared the statement was insufficient to Fulop.
“Different beliefs shouldn’t divide us,” he wrote. “This issue touches dinner tables across America. I choose respect, peace, and the chance to embrace my loved ones, putting family above politics and any appointed position.”
He added that he “will never discriminate against ANY human being” and that he does “not support any hateful remarks directed toward the LGBTQ+ community.”
“Political differences should not destroy families,” he concluded.
Jonathan Gomez’s firing followed a large outcry from critics, with one petition calling for his removal from Fulop’s LGBTQ+ Task Force reaching more than 300 signatories.
The Hudson Pride Center’s executive director and staff resigned from the task force amid the uproar over Gomez’s inclusion, stating in a press release that they could not “in good conscience, continue to serve on a Task Force that tolerates even the slightest hint of anti-LGBTQ sentiment among its members.”
One city council member echoed the calls for Gomez’s resignation on Sunday, telling Fulop on X that “he can not contribute financially to a candidate who directs hate speech to the LGBTQ community and be expected to properly represent said community.”
However, others flagged the firing as potentially illegal, claiming the mayor was forcing him to speak out and punishing him for personal political beliefs.
Valentina Gomez hit back at that post as well, calling on Fulop (pre-firing) to “appoint him to more useful boards instead of that gay shit.”
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