Koch’s Gay Marriage Advice To Paterson

Posted on May 17, 2009
Filed Under Uncategorized

If Gov. David Paterson is serious about getting personally engaged in the Senate’s gay marriage battle, former Mayor Ed Koch has an idea about how to go about that.

“When the New York City Council in 1986 was faced with a vote on a bill that I introduced that barred sexual orientation discrimination in the private sector in employment, housing and education, I as Mayor, having already barred such discrimination by the city government by executive order in 1978, called into my office those members of the City Council, Democrat and Republican, who were wavering on the issue,” Koch wrote in his most recent weekly commentary, which he subsequently quoted in a May 12 letter to Paterson.
“I told them that if their primary opponents or general election opponents used their “yea” vote on the issue against them, I would support them irrespective of their party affiliation and campaign for them,” the former mayor continued.

“My suggestion is that the Governor do the same. Because of the Governor’s low popularity, there should also be an effort to assemble a broad, bi-partisan coalition of private and distinguished citizens that would make the same commitment.”

See Koch’s Gay Marriage Advice To Paterson

New York Daily News – New York,NY,USA

* Tags = gay men gay news lesbian news transgender bisexual