Gov. David Paterson, above, just finished his first 100 days. AP photo. Below from left:Trenton Straube, New York Blade editor; Howie Katz, special assistant to the governor; and Peter Yacobellis, deputy director of executive chamber administration, at the HX Awards, where Gov. Paterson received the Community Service Award. Photo: WilsonModels.
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Friday, June 20, 2008
Long before he became chief executive this spring, David Paterson spoke loud and proud for LGBT equality. As Senate Minority Leader, he rallied support for same-sex marriage equality, going so far as to walk onto the Assembly floor to lobby when that chamber voted on—and passed—the bill last summer. In May, he made headlines by directing state agencies to recognize valid, out-of-state, same-sex marriages. Basically, Paterson told agencies to follow a previous high court ruling, but he nonetheless took heat for allegedly bypassing the legislature (which he didn’t do). During the past week’s hectic closing session in Albany, Paterson made the time to speak with The Blade about the battle for gay marriage in New York State.
Bishop William Murphy, in the Long Island Catholic, said that you were “just plain wrong” on your gay marriage stance, adding that homosexual relationships “do not serve the common good.… because they contradict biological teleology and the natural law.” What’s your response to the religious line of attack on LGBT equality?
The religious line of attack is fair, because tenets of many religions hold that homosexuality is basically sinful conduct and many people believe that. I happen not to believe it, but I respect their beliefs. However, the problem with religion, sometimes, and people who are religious, is that they want to dictate through the law to everyone else what they think is right and what they think is wrong.
The full faith and credit clause of our Constitution—that’s our federal Constitution—guarantees that states will observe the rights granted to people by other states. The one way a state doesn't have to respect those rights is if it passes specific laws. So for instance, if a state allows for bigamy, we have a clause specifically banning bigamy. Well, with same sex marriage, there is no ban [in New York State] on same sex marriage. There's never even been a vote taken on it in the Legislature. Therefore the full faith and credit clause applies; that's what the Appellate division court department of Rochester held; and that is, I assume, why the court of appeals dismissed the same case. Therefore, I feel I am on solid legal grounds [with my directive]. As for religious grounds, we disagree.
A Quinnipiac Poll this month found that 53 percent New York voters support your directive. Were you surprised by the flurry of press about the directive, and are these myriad responses in any way indicative of the battle for same-sex marriage in New York?
I think the reaction was more to same-sex marriage, but the poll certainly indicates to me either that there is preference for same-sex marriage or the people understood the delineation between same-sex marriage and the full faith and credit clause where we respect the laws of other states. Either way, I wasn't surprised, and I think that had the adversaries of same-sex marriage granted full protections under the law for civil unions years ago, then they never would have been discussing marriage because gay or lesbian couples would have had the same legal rights as married couples
Are there any indications that gay marriage could become a wedge issue in the upcoming elections, specifically in the State Senate, where the Republicans hold a thin majority?
I would hope one way or the other that same-sex marriage does not become a wedge issue at a time when we have skyrocketing energy costs, jobs being shipped overseas, a war in Iraq taking up hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars that has to be resolved one way or the other, a failing health-care system in this country, an educational system that doesn't allow our young people to compete in the international market, climate change, homeland security, and the threat of terrorism. After all of that, how same sex-marriage could become a wedge issue in an election demonstrates that clearly the consultants who know that it’s an emotional issue would try to turn it into a substantive issue.
You also vocally support the anti-bullying Dignity for All Students and the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act. Have you specifically experienced any pushback for supporting LGBT issues?
No. I think I've been supporting these causes for so many years, that those who normally would push me back see me as a lost cause.
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