From left: Director John Waters, Gov. David Paterson and Task Force
executive director Matt Foreman. (Additional caption information at
bottom of article.)
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By TRENTON STRAUBE
Friday, April 04, 2008
Despite being “held hostage” in Albany, Gov. David Paterson made time to reiterate his unwavering support for same-sex marriage equality and other LGBT civil rights issues while addressing The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Leadership Awards ceremony.
The event, held April 7 at The New York Times Center, also honored the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce and writer/director John Waters. Though officially not an honoree, the evening included a tribute to Matt Foreman, who is stepping down after five years as the Task Force’s executive director.
When the Task Force originally planned to honor Paterson, he was the state’s lieutenant governor. Enmeshed in his new duties, specifically balancing the budget, Paterson was unable to attend the leadership awards in person. In lieu of that, he recorded a video that began:
“Good evening. If any of you can hear me, please contact the FBI or Interpol. I am being held hostage in a dysfunctional Albany. I’m actually tied to this chair, and a gun is pointed to my head in an effort to get me to reverse my opinion on a number of issues. If I am shot or killed in this interview, remember that I did the right thing.”
He then got to the heart of his speech. “I am proud to have run on a ticket with Eliot Spitzer that became the first ticket in this country to actually advocate for marriage equality for all citizens….
“While I recognize that marriage equality in New York might not come just this moment, it is no longer an issue for conviction, it is an issue for courage. People more and more understand that when people love each other they should express it in whatever way they deem necessary and possible. They should have all the rights the rest of us have. So we will push on and bring full marriage equality to New York State.”
But marriage wasn’t the only LGBT issue Paterson promised to back. In references to the Dignity for All Students Act and the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act, two bills languishing in both houses, the governor promised to protect young people from bullies and members of the transgender community from discrimination.
“If you will join with me and if we work hard enough,” he said in closing, “we can change the face of New York, which will be a catalyst to changing national policy. And if we try hard enough, we will rewrite the pages of civil rights … and bring it closer to being a global philosophy for all people. Enjoy this dinner, and if I ever escape this place, I’ll see you all soon.”
You can view Paterson’s video acceptance speech and his message to LGBT New Yorkers here.
The governor’s sense of humor could have been viewed as a warm-up act of sorts for another honoree: John Waters — aka “The Pope of Trash” — the man behind “Polyester,” “Hairspray” and “Cry-Baby.”
“John is proud to have offended four generations,” said pop icon Debbie Harry when introducing the self-proclaimed Trash Elder. (Harry and Miss Guy performed two tracks during the evening.)
“We have to make room for people who are gaily incorrect in this movement,” Waters told the crowd. “My people have always been minorities that don’t fit in with their own minority status.
“I’m the only gay man who’s never been to the gym,” he explained. “If I could find a trainer to give me the body of a junkie, I’d be there! I’ve never been to the baths either. Me in a towel, horny? I couldn’t get laid. I get laid by making people laugh. And that’s what gay people should do: Use their wit and their humor as terrorism to win.”
Waters read goals from The Task Force’s mission statement to assure the audience he was on board with their objectives.
One such goal: Train activists to defeat anti-gay legislation in the voting booths. “Of course, vote,” Waters said. He then added, “I’m tired of liberals saying, ‘They stole the election.’ Well, let’s steal it this time. I always vote three or four times in every election. And can’t gay neighborhoods fix up [the voting places] better? Have them put glory holes in the voting booths. When you vote, pick somebody up!”
On a (much) more serious note, Sean Patrick Maloney, the first deputy secretary to the governor, presented the Task Force’s Matt Foreman with a citation signed by Paterson detailing Foreman’s many accomplishments.
Before Foreman joined the Task Force, he was a founder of Heritage of Pride, the umbrella group behind New York City’s Pride events in June, and he was active in Queer Nation. Under his tenure, the Task Force’s budget doubled to more than $10 million and the staff grew to more than 50. But Foreman, in his speech, kept to events from the past year when he highlighted four Task Force accomplishments:
- The group helped preserve marriage equality in Massachusetts by lobbying legislatures to keep an anti-gay measure off the ballot.
- A Task Force report on LGBT homeless youth resulted in New York tripling its funds directed to that population. In Washington, D.C., the report lead to a $10.5 million increase in homeless youth programs, the first addition in six years.
- In California, Task Force staffers have been fighting a signature drive to put an anti-gay marriage amendment on the ballot—in many cases, sending volunteers to counter petitioners at Wal-Mart shopping centers. “We’d send folks to stand right next to those bigots and tell people not to sign that,” Foreman said. “We’ve been pushed, shoved and punched. But they’re going out every day nonetheless.”
- The Task Force was a lead organizer last fall of United ENDA, which pressed for a transgender-inclusive federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act. On four occasions, the group stopped the House from taking the bill to the floor. “The powers that be on the Hill understand clearly that no one organization or no one person or member of Congress speaks for our community,” Foreman said of the group’s lasting influence. “The power dynamics of the [community] have shifted, and that’s not just a good thing, it’s a great thing, and the Task Force made that happen.”
In broader terms, Foreman praised the Task Force for holding racial justice as a core value and a gay issue. He represented the LGBT community, speaking at the Lincoln Memorial during an event marking the 40th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s assassination. Similarly, the Task Force views a woman’s right to choose as a gay issue, and it has been against the war in Iraq.
Foreman is scheduled to step down April 15. Roberta Sklar, the group’s communications director, said they’ve been receiving applications but there is no absolute timetable for finding a replacement.
Photo identifications, from top: Task Force executive director Matt Foreman, center, with nightlife personalities Kenny Kenny and Patrick McDonald; first deputy secretary to the governor Sean Patrick Maloney and Task Force vice co-chair Paula Red Zeman; Dr. Marjorie Hill with Judith, Jennifer and Kenneth, all of Gay Men’s Health Crisis; performer Miss Guy, director John Waters and singer Debbie Harry. All photos: WilsonModels except Paterson on cover: AP Photo.
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