Newsom, Paterson Urge New Yorkers To Fight Prop 8

Some lucky New Yorkers got a treat Thursday night when David Paterson and Gavin Newsom came together to fight Proposition 8, which would overturn gay marriage in California.

Paterson, the governor of New York, pledged this year to recognize same-sex marriages in California, where Mayor Newsom of San Francisco helped initiate the drive back in 2004, when he legalized gay marriage in his city. Speaking at the $5,000 a ticket event, Paterson expressed his outrage over the nation’s ongoing inequality, reports the Advocate‘s resident superwoman, Kerry Eleveld:

“I just feel in some ways badly,” Gov. Paterson told the intimate gathering of roughly 60 people, “with all the problems that we have right now and our economy reeling at this time, that we have to spend time dealing with this issue — it actually offends me.”
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Paterson drew an analogy between gay marriages and common-law marriages from other states — unions New York has recognized for years. “We recognize the rights that people derive from other states, it’s really that simple,” said New York governor, who has supported marriage equality for gays and lesbians since 1995. “It’s this little unknown part of the Constitution called the Full Faith and Credit Clause — it’s so big in the Constitution even I can read it,” he added to applause and cheers. Paterson is legally blind.

After delving into the history of homo nuptials in America, Newsom stressed the utter importance of getting involved in the Proposition 8 debate – and he took direct aim at his Democratic peers:

I’ve seen some polls that show us down by four points, not up by eight or nine as a lot of polls have been advertised to suggest. This is going to be extraordinarily close. If we win this thing, I think it will be a dramatic tipping point in the history of this issue.
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Particularly of the Democratic Party, I expect a little bit more. ‘Separate is not equal,’ we say in one breath, and then all the sudden in the next breath we say, ‘Well, can’t you just call it something else for the gay and lesbian community?’

What an outrage!

There’s no word yet on how much money the event raised last night. Organizers will release the official tally next week.