christian grantham
Christian Grantham was a student activist in the late 90s and later was a consultant to domestic policy forums for the Clinton Administration as well as events for HRC and GLAAD.
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February 08, 2005

NY Mayor Mike Bloomberg is right. As half-hearted as his reasoning sounds for why he will appeal a judge's ruling affirming equal marriage rights, it's an appeal we need for the state of New York.

Mayor Bloomberg claims he is appealing because he doesn't want a repeat of San Francisco, when couples were married and then denied by the courts. Gays and lesbians have gone to the courts not only to measure discriminatory laws against higher laws of state constitutions, but also to seek clarification from the courts in the absence of any law codifying equal marriage rights. Without clarification, the very future challenges our families want to avoid would loom in New York and elsewhere as divisive political forces move to constitutionally deny gay and lesbian families equal marriage rights.

"I think people have the right to love, to live with and to marry whoever they want, regardless of their sexual orientation," Bloomberg told guests at a benefit dinner on Saturday.

State court Judge Doris Ling-Cohan ruled on Friday that the rights of five same-sex couples were violated when they were denied new York City marriage licenses last year because the state's constitution guarantees equal rights to everybody.

Bloomberg said he would appeal because he did not want a repeat of what happened in San Francisco last year when the mayor issued thousands of marriage licenses to same-sex couples only to have a state court nullify them a few months later.
[NY Mayor Bloomberg in a Bind Over Gay Marriage - Reuters - 02-08-05]