|
LOU CHIBBARO J
Friday, March 14, 2008
Gay
New
Yorkers
hoped
for
the
best
this
week
as
the
resignation
of
Gov.
Eliot
Spitzer
over
a
sex
scandal
threatened
to
undermine
an
expected
Democratic
Party
take-over
of
the
New
York
State
Senate,
which would
improve
chances
for
passage
of
a
same-sex
marriage
bill.
Spitzer,
a
Democrat,
resigned
from
office
on
Wednesday
after
news
surfaced
earlier
in
the
week
that
he
had
been
a
frequent
client
of
a
high-end
prostitution
ring.
The
revelations
threw
the
New
York
Legislature
into
disarray
as
Spitzer
dropped
out
of
sight
and
Republican
critics
demanded
his
resignation
and
threatened
to
impeach
him.
Democratic
Party
leaders
agonized
over
whether
the
scandal
would
hurt
their
plans
for
winning
the
few
seats
needed
to
gain
full
control
of
the
Legislature.
Democrats
control
the
New
York
Assembly.
The
Assembly
passed
a
same-sex
marriage
rights
bill
last
year
but
the
bill
became
stalled
in
the
Republican-controlled
Senate
after
Republican
leaders
bottled
it
up
in
committee.
Lt.
Gov.
David
Paterson,
also
a
Democrat,
is
set
to
replace
Spitzer
on
Monday,
the
day
Spitzer’s
resignation
takes
effect.
Paterson,
53,
becomes
the
state’s
first
black
governor
and
the
first
legally
blind
governor
in
the
nation.
Paterson
is
the
former
minority
leader
of
the
State
Senate.
He
has
a
strong
pro-gay
record
dating
back
to
the
beginning
of
his
political
career
as
a
civil
rights
activist
from
Harlem.
“If
there
is
any
consolation
to
this
very
sad
story
it’s
that
David
Paterson
would
become
governor,”
said
Matt
Foreman,
executive
director
of
the
National
Gay
&
Lesbian
Task
Force
and
a
longtime
New
York
gay
activist.
Under
succession
rules
set
by
the
New
York
Constitution,
Republican
Senate
Majority
Leader
Joseph
Bruno,
a
strong
opponent
of
gay
rights,
including
the
gay
marriage
bill,
becomes
acting
lieutenant
governor.
Bruno
would
be
next
in
line
to
become
governor
or
acting
governor
if
Paterson
leaves
office
for
any
reason,
such
as
death
or
resignation,
or
becomes
incapacitated.
Foreman
noted
that
Paterson
played
an
important
role
helping
to
pass
a
New
York
gay
rights
bill
and
he
has
been
a
longtime
supporter
of
same-sex
marriage
rights.
Earlier
this
year,
the
Task
Force
named
Paterson
as
a
recipient
of
its
Leadership
Award.
He
is
scheduled
to
appear
at
the
group’s
Leadership
Award
dinner
in
Manhattan
on
April
7
to
accept
the
award.
In
an
interview
with
the
New
York
Blade
in
January
2006,
Paterson
reiterated
his
support
for
New
York’s
proposed
same-sex
marriage
bill.
“I’m
not
going
to
be
in
that
fight,
I’m
going
to
be
in
front
of
that
fight,”
he
said,
noting
that
he
helped
pass
the
state’s
Sexual
Orientation
Non-Discrimination
Act
when
he
first
became
Senate
Minority
Leader.
Alan
Van
Capelle,
executive
director
of
the
Empire
State
Pride
Agenda,
a
statewide
gay
rights
group,
called
Paterson
a
loyal
friend
of
the
GLBT
community.
“I
want
all
of
you
to
know
that
our
community
will
continue
to
have
an
ally
and
a
friend
in
the
Governor
of
New
York
—
one
who
has
been
a
strong
supporter
of
all
of
our
key
issues
and
one
that
is
committed
to
winning
a
pro-LGBT
majority
in
the
State
Senate,”
Capelle
said
in
a
statement.
Spitzer
has
also
been
a
strong
gay
rights
supporter.
In
his
2006
election
campaign
for
governor,
he
pledged
to
sign
a
same-sex
marriage
bill
and
promised
to
advocate
vigorously
for
passage
of
such
a
bill.
During
his
eight-year
tenure
as
New
York
State
Attorney
General,
Spitzer
spoke
out
in
favor
of
gay
and
transgender
rights
and
marched
in
New
York
City’s
Gay
Pride
parade.
“It
is
a
very
sad
day
when
you
have
a
governor
who
has
to
step
down,”
Christine
Quinn,
president
of
the
New
York
City
Council
and
a
lesbian,
said
in
a
statement
to
the
Blade.
“I
was
happy
to
have
worked
closely
with
Gov.
Eliot
Spitzer
and
the
New
York
State
Assembly
to
pass
the
marriage
equity
bill,
marking
a
great
victory
for
New
Yorkers
in
the
ongoing
battle
for
justice.
The
revelations
identifying
Spitzer
as
a
customer
of
a
prostitution
operation
stemmed
from
an
FBI
investigation
into
a
money-laundering
scheme
linked
to
the
operation,
which
billed
itself
as
the
Emperors
Club
VIP.
An
FBI
wiretap
showed
that
a
customer
identified
by
law
enforcement
sources
as
Spitzer
paid
$4,300
to
have
sex
with
a
female
prostitute
in
Washington’s
Mayflower
Hotel
on
Feb.
13,
one
of
Spitzer’s
many
liaisons
with
prostitutes,
law
enforcement
sources
told
the
New
York
Times.
“The
entire
situation
is
extremely
unfortunate,”
Foreman
said.
“Were
it
not
for
the
fact
that
he
prosecuted
prostitution
rings
when
he
was
attorney
general,
there
would
be
no
reason
for
him
to
resign,”
said
Foreman,
who
noted
that
the
hypocrisy
factor
made
it
difficult
for
Spitzer
to
stay
in
office.
Evan
Wolfson,
executive
director
of
Freedom
To
Marry,
a
same-sex
marriage
advocacy
group,
said
Paterson’s
tenure
as
a
state
senator
since
1985
and
his
reputation
as
a
conciliator
could
outweigh
any
problems
for
passing
a
same-sex
marriage
bill
caused
by
the
Spitzer
scandal.
|
 |
