LGBT organizations weigh in on Spitzer

With New York appearing to take a collective sigh of relief over Gov. Eliot Spitzer's resignation earlier today, LGBT organizations have echoed many in the state in expressing their optimism to work with incoming Gov. David Paterson.

Empire State Pride Agenda executive director Alan Van Capelle praised the former state Senator's record on LGBT rights as he pointed out Paterson's support of hate crimes legislation and the Sexual Orientation Non-Discrimination Act of 2002.

"David Paterson’s leadership is a story of commitment to civil liberties and human rights," Van Capelle said in a statement posted on the Pride Agenda's Web site. "He believes in equality and justice for all New Yorkers and has demonstrated this time and time again—in both words and actions."

Matt Foreman, executive director of the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force, agreed.

"We know we can count on him to continue his decades-long commitment to winning full equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender New Yorkers," he said.

Paterson supports marriage for same-sex couples at a time when activists across the state have looked to a Democratic take-over of the Republican controlled state Senate in November in hopes of securing passage of a marriage bill next year. It remains to be seen whether this effort will succeed, but it appears as though LGBT activists have followed the apparent lead of state Democrats in their efforts to quickly move forward from this tumultuous period. In many ways, it appears as though they want Spitzer to become an after thought with upcoming local, statewide and national elections. He became a significant distraction in the coming days (and arguably since he took office in January 2007), and partisans (and arguably some LGBT activists in New York and around the country) are quietly happy to see him go.

The saga will continue to evolve, but the collective consensus is arguably to begin to move forward. Stay tuned...

Spitzer resigns

A stunning and utterly sad fall from grace has come to pass.

Spitzer saga continues to unravel

The politically charged scandal surrounding expected soon-to-be former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer continues to unravel around him as an estimated 70 percent of New Yorkers want him to step down. A very convincing argument can be made for the former Attorney General's resignation -- his patronization of the Emperor VIP Club and his vigorous prosecution of alleged prostitution rings proves him a hypocrite unworthy of the public's trust.

LGBT activists across the state rejoiced last April after Spitzer introduced a bill to extend marriage to same-sex couples. The Empire State Pride Agenda briefly mentioned the scandal and an article Advocate news editor Kerry Eleveld wrote about Lieutenant Gov. David Paterson's pro-LGBT record on its blog this morning. And blogger Andres Duque discussed the bill's future on his blog yesterday, but arguably the most telling sign Spitzer is politically doomed is the fact Democrats have not publicly rallied to his defense since the scandal broke in the New York Times on Monday.

A colleague told this writer Monday night the scandal is akin to watching a Greek tragedy slowly unroll. Indeed!

New York Governor No-Show at LGBT Rights Lobby Day

More than 1,000 LGBT rights supporters from across New York State gathered in Albany yesterday for the Empire State Pride Agenda’s annual lobbying day. Activists continue to celebrate the bill Gov. Eliot Spitzer introduced late last month that would extend marriage to same-sex couples in the state but his absence added an interesting side note to an otherwise successful day. Spokesperson Christine Anderson told the New York Times the governor did not meet with activists because he was in San Francisco to attend a series of fundraising meetings. Spitzer undoubtedly did not snub activists. But Times reporter Nicholas Confessore correctly noted in his blog Spitzer’s absence has a “Honey, I’d love to go look at fabric samples with you, but I have to, um, alphabetize my CDs today.”

Presidential Candidates Court California Democrats

Buzz surrounded many of the Democratic presidential candidates who appeared at the annual California Democratic Party's annual convention this past weekend in San Diego. Sen. Barack Obama, former U.S. Sen. John Edwards were among those who predictably criticized the White House's war strategy with rhetoric that surely energized anti-war party activists. The war will certainly continue to dominate discussion in the campaign. But Sen. Hillary Clinton's strategic comments towards gay and lesbian voters during her speech at the convention also raised some eyebrows.

The Associated Press reported Clinton promised to treat all Americans with dignity and equality no matter who you are and who you love. The Empire State Pride Agenda and other LGBT advocacy organizations have criticized the former first lady for her opposition to full marriage for same-sex couples. New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer introduced a bill last Friday which would extend full marriage to gay and lesbian couples while California lawmakers continue to debate a similar bill in their state. Clinton's reference was clearly aimed to court gay and lesbian voters in the influential state. Yet her own record on marriage remains troubling to a number of LGBT activists and potential voters.

Equality California Executive Director Geoff Kors told this blogger earlier this month his organization would not endorse any candidate who do not support its mission. California remains an important fundraising source for presidential candidates on both sides of the aisle. LGBT voters, however, should expect more from candidates than good sound bites and anti-Bush rhetoric. They should expect candidates to answer their questions directly. The candidates themselves, in turn, also have a responsibility to explain their positions on marriage and other issues to LGBT voters.

New York Governor Introduces Marriage Bill

Governor Eliot Spitzer kept his promise to LGBT advocacy organizations today and introduced a marriage equality bill in Albany. Spitzer, who took office in January, became the first governor in the country to introduce such legislation.

"Today is a watershed moment in our community's struggle to win the freedom to marry in New York and have our relationships treated the same as any other relationship under the law," Empire State Pride Agenda Executive Director Alan Van Capelle said in a statement. "We are extremely proud to have a Governor who understands that all New York families need access to the protections and responsibilities that the state provides through marriage."

This bill is a monumental move many activists and same-sex couples in New York State will continue to praise over the coming days and weeks. ESPA will certainly have a lot to celebrate next week as it brings hundreds of LGBT New Yorkers to Albany for its annual lobbying day but it, and other groups, have a responsibility to manage expectations based on current political realities.

Spitzer has certainly proven himself a strong ally for LGBT New Yorkers in their quest for equality. But the New York State Senate, controlled by Republican Joseph Bruno, poses a very significant challenge to the success of this bill as an April 24 editorial in the New York Times correctly pointed out. The senate Majority Leader has repeatedly expressed his opposition to marriage for same-sex couples. His counterpart in the state Assembly, Sheldon Silver [D-Manhattan], has yet to publicly take a position on the bill. This political reality underscores the uphill battle activists face as they work with the governor to advance the bill. They will continue to polish their messages, talking points and sound bites to convince New Yorkers across the state that marriage equality is an important issue. But these groups also need to clearly articulate to their constituencies the significant hurdles that lay ahead.