Hizzoner the Honorary Lesbian

It's all about lesbian chic in City Hall these days! First, gay City Council member Christine Quinn is made the City Council Speaker, and now, City Council member Margarita Lopez dubs Mayor Bloomberg an "honorary lesbian"! And the Mayor didn't admit to watching the L Word or thinking about adopting a baby from China with his girlfriend - all he did was turn over a few city buildings on East Fourth Street to arts organizations in Lopez's district. Lopez's designation (Sapphicization?) of the mayor was in the context of saying she wanted the mayor to perform in a theater piece and he'd be "part of the group of people that I am part of, the gay-lesbian-bisexual-transgender community. And I'm making him an honorary lesbian." Mayor Bloomberg did laugh and say, "Let the record show that the mayor moved right along after that." Hmm, would Brian Ellner call Mayor Bloomberg an "honorary homosexual?"

At this point, the Mayor is still against gay marriage (he's waiting for NY State to make it constitutional before supporting it in NYC) and the arts organizations who are benefitting from the East Fourth Street buildings are Alpha Omega Theatrical Dance Company, Choices Theater Project, Cooper Square Committee, Cooper Square Mutual Housing Association, Downtown Art, Duo Theater, IATI (Instituto Arte Teatral Internacional), La MaMa Experimental Theater Club, Millennium Film Workshop, New York Theatre Workshop, Roy Rogers Dance Company, Teatro Circulo and WOW Cafe Theatre.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Chung in News on January 12, 2006 9:29 AM

Comments [rss]

Wallard

There was a typo in the Mayor's office/DCA press release. In the list of arts groups, the Rod Rodgers Dance Company is misidentified as the Roy Rogers Dance Company. Maybe the LBGT vibe outed a freudian slip refelcting Mayor Mike's repressed desire to ride the ranges of Brokeback Mountain!

Ian

The positions are similar. Schwarzenegger has said that he could live with gay marriage if it were endorsed by the people and/or the courts. His press release on the veto says, "He believes that gay couples are entitled to full protection under the law and should not be discriminated against based upon their relationship." Like Bloomberg, it's simply not on his legislative agenda.

nycityguy

bloomberg never supported gay marriage until he decided to appeal this ruling... seems at least disingenuous to me.

Cole

Bloomberg said he supported gay marriage personally but did not want to do a San Fran-style let-them-eat-cake orgy of marriages because if, as in California, a court later overturned them, those couples that had married would be robbed of that legitimacy (as, again, in California). Maybe Bloomberg could have done more (maybe he will) but following the existing laws until a court or legislature tells him to do otherwise isn't exactly dishonest.

The actions taken by Schwarzenegger, who unlike Bloomberg is specifically *not* in favor of gay marriage, are not the same thing.

Ian

Mayor says he supports gay marriage (and says that he "hopes he loses the appeal" that his office is pursuing.... He believes the issue should be decided by the New York Supreme Court. Said if it fails there, then he will testify before the legislature in favor of it......... he could have and should have done more.

When the mayor of San Francisco issued the marriage licenses and the court ruled against him, the state legislature acted promptly to get a gay marriage bill to the governor's desk. Schwarzenegger vetoed it (saying it should be decided by courts).

Bottom line: when Republicans' hands are forced by courts, they say the legislature should decide the issue; when their hands are forced by legislatures, they say courts should decide the issue.

Jen

Hmm, good question - I can't remember, but I'll try to look it up when I have time (or maybe someone else knows). The Mayor personally supports gay rights, but I thought he was using the state's position as the reason why he couldn't do more in the city... though I suppose with the election over, he could possibly be more vocal.