Bloomberg Suggests Paterson and Thompson Will Renege on Marriage Equality to Appease Black Voters

In a new interview with Gay City News, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg discusses mayoral opponent and NYC Comptroller Bill Thompson. After suggesting the governor's marriage equality bill has "zero" chance of passage this year, Bloomberg implies only he can influence key Republican state senators.  Bloomberg says Gov. David Paterson and Thompson will renege on long-standing commitments to marriage equality to appease "the conservative...black community."

Despite the fact that the number of states with legal gay marriage quickly shot up to six this past spring, the mayor said, "I ‘m scared to death that the country is going in the wrong direction… I think on other LGBT issues they are clearly moving in the direction that I think they should go and you probably do too. It’s the marriage thing that I don’t see."

Even in New York, where Paterson and his predecessor Eliot Spitzer have been outspoken in supporting gay marriage, Bloomberg argued, "Whether anybody who runs for governor next year will stand up for gay marriage, I’ll bet you 25 cents no."

Though the Democrats did finally achieve a majority in the State Senate last November, the mayor who vows to deliver Republican votes views the composition of the Democratic caucus as a bar to action. "There are a lot of traditional Democratic communities that are very conservative," he said. "The black community is very conservative. The Latino. You know, I don’t win any points with these communities when I go in their churches and point out I’m very pro-choice. I’m very pro-gay rights. I’m anti-gun. I’m very pro-immigration. I believe in Darwin."

Without exception, the Democrat has beaten the mayor to the punch in advocating major pro-gay positions. Thompson was already supportive of gay marriage when first elected comptroller in 2001; Bloomberg voiced his support only in February 2005, the same day he announced he would appeal a pro-marriage equality ruling from a Manhattan district court judge ... Bloomberg and his campaign are making the argument that now, when it counts, Thompson, who hopes to galvanize people of color communities in November, has lost his voice on gay rights.

As the administrator of the New York City Pension Funds, Thompson has been among the most aggressive champions of socially responsible investing on Wall Street and has forced dozens of Fortune 500 companies to develop gay-rights employment policies.

Full interview at Gay City News.

Comments

[Nathan James]

Bloomberg has a lot of chutzpah (now there's a New York expression for you!) saying anything about gay marriage or any other LGBT issue. He and his campaign didn't publicly "come out" in support of LGBT rights until this past summer, now that it's an election year. When his cops were arresting gay men on false pretenses last winter, where was the mayor? When transgender Carmella Etienne was beaten down last summer, not a peep did we hear from him. When we held protest marches against the "they thought he was gay" murder of Jose Sucuzhanay last winter, Bloomberg was conspicuous by his absence. Now he deigns to say he "doesn't see" gay marriage as a direction New York State should be taking?

Although Bloomberg may be onto something in his commentary about the "conservative black community"--Sen. Malcolm Smith lives right here in my very conservative black St. Albans neighborhood--the rest of his commentary is way off base.

As a Republican, it was his party that did everything it could to split the New York state Senate, with gay marriage being one of the precipitating factors. It was the GOP that earlier this year came out against GENDA in New York State, and it was the GOP that sponsored and still supports DOMA. Now Bloomberg, and by extension, his party, wants us to vote for him as "a friend of the gay community".

OK. Sure. When Mechcad Brooks shares his bed and his body with me. (rolls eyes).

[www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=845069333]

How convenient Bloomie. You and your administration upheld marriage discrimination and only supported in 2005 as you already knew you would maneuver to overturn term limits. This is just slimy on so many levels.

And you're running scared. You've already spent 10s of million$ and most polls have you with a SLIGHT lead over Thompson who JUST started airing TV ads. How pathetic.

[Findley]

SMH @ Bloomberg

I believe that is what is known as "playing the race card", except billionaire white men don't do that, right?

How dare Bloomberg even go there. He never even supported marriage until last year. He fought it in court when he didnt have to. Now, he says Thompson will back away to "galvaznize poc".

[Findley]

Oh and did anyone else notice how far Gay City News' was up Bloomberg's azz? Wow. Talk about lack of objectivity.

[MRCHOCOLATE615]

I really don't believe Bloomberg would stoop so low to do that. I see this whole thing about Black and Gays have really become the "CRUTCH" these folks are using to win votes!

It's a DAMN shame! It really is...

[kayman]

Actually, Bloomberg is now an Independent.