Former NYC mayor Rudy Giuliani – who is apparently still running for president – received a ringing endorsement from The Palm Beach County Human Rights Council Federal Political Action Committee. Their kind words will hopefully remind voters that Giuliani once loved the gays, yet has distanced himself in recent months.
Awww, look at Rudy! So smiley, so full of life, so still in this race. Now, we’re not sure if this endorsement will do anything for Giuliani, who’s currently third in Florida, but we’re sure his campaign is absolutely thrilled someone remembered his candidacy. From the press release:
The Palm Beach County Human Rights Council Federal Political Action Committee has endorsed former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani in Florida’s January 29, 2008 Republican Presidential Preference Primary.
While the PAC recognizes that none of the Republican Presidential candidates are as supportive of GLBT issues as their Democratic counterparts, Giuliani’s record places him well above the other Republican Presidential candidates.
During his tenure as Mayor (1994 – 2001), Giuliani:
• signed into law a domestic partnership ordinance that, at the time, was among the most comprehensive domestic partnerships laws in the nation;• established and funded a Hate Crimes Task Force that allowed the city to fully investigate and prosecute hate crimes;
• budgeted $1.5 million for New York City’s GLBT Community Center’s capital campaign;
• appointed openly gay men and lesbians to high-level positions within his administration;
• participated in the annual New York City Pride Parade and held annual Pride celebrations at the mayor’s official residence, Gracie Mansion; and
• urged President Bush to include domestic partners and committed same-sex life partners in the September 11 federal victims’ compensation fund.
In addition, Giuliani was one of the first Republican elected officials in New York State to publicly support both federal and the New York State hate crimes legislation. He was also one of the first Republican elected officials in New York to support statewide legislation to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation.
As a Presidential candidate, Giuliani has spoken out in favor of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act which would prohibit employment discrimination based on sexual orientation nationwide. (However, it is unclear if he supports including gender identity).
Giuliani opposes amending the U. S. Constitution to limit marriages to those between one man and one woman only and supports federal domestic partnership legislation which would provide basic legal protections for our relationships.However, as more conservative Republican Presidential candidates have gained support over the past several weeks, Giuliani has begun to downplay his earlier accomplishments on behalf of the GLBT community.
If you are registered to vote in the Republican Presidential Primary, the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council Federal Political Action Committee recommends Giuliani.
Wait. Look at those last two sentences. They acknowledge Giuliani’s gay silence, yet still urge voters to use their democratic power to install him in the White House.
And we thought the Democrats were spineless!
Red
EXCUSE ME?! Did they not live in New York City during the time he was mayor? Friend? I think not.
hells kitchen guy
Um, they’re endosring someone for GOP primary. In that Neanderthal field, Giuliani is indeed the best of the worst. Not saying much, but gay-rightswise, he’s certainly better than the others. (And yes, it’s like saying Stalin was less bad for the Jews than Hitler.)
Flagler400
A little bit more explanation is needed concerning the endorsement.
Queerty publicized our PAC’s endorsement of Rudy Giuliani before it received our PAC’s endorsement of Hillary Clinton in the Democratic Presidential Preference Primary. (Our e-mail blast system is not capable of doing simultaneous blast, so the Republican endorsement announcement went out one-half hour before the Democratic announcement).
As you may know, Florida has closed primaries, so registered Republicans can only vote in the Republican Primary and registered Democrats can only vote in the Democratic Primary.
The Palm Beach County Human Rights Council is a non-partisan political organization. therefore, we often make endorsements in both the Democratic and Republican primaries at the local, state and federal level.
If you check out our website (www.pbchrc.org) you will find that the requirements for endorsements are two-fold:
1. How a candidate has voted on GLBT issues, and
2. How a candidate has supported the GLBT community
As Mayor, Giuliani voted favorably on the GLBT issues mentioned in the endorsement. In addition, he participated in Pride events in NYC. Therefore met the endorsement criteria — which is a lot more than one can say for the other viable candidates on the ballot in Florida’s Republican Presidential Preference Primary.
The Giuliani endorsement was made so that GLBT and GLBT-supportive registered Republican voters in Palm Beach County would have our PAC’s input as to whom the PAC felt was best among the candidates on the Republican ballot.
Of course, in light of Giuliani’s recent comments, the PAC felt obligated to point out that Giuliani been retreating from his pro-GLBT position.
I trust that explains the endorsement and everything and the PAC hopes Queerty will give equal coverage to our endorsement of Senator Hillary Clinton in the Democratic Primary.
Rand Hoch. President,
Palm Beach County Human Rights Council
M Shane Walsh
These stupified beach queens can be no more than blips on the screen of anyone who has the slightest knowledge of gay culture in America. Anyone but a fliped out crackhead knows that Guiliani reduced New York City singlehandedly from being virtually the capital of gay America, if not the world, to some kind of sordid theme park commemorating our 9/11 trail of world disgrace and inhumanity. I.E. they’re just ignorant.
When I arrived in NYC, I just knew within minutes that I had arrived in Gay Heaven; there was just a luminiferous Aether of gay energy jsut pulsing from every nook and crany.
So this is what I’ve suffered for!
Well, since that time R. Giuliani happened and removed every reminder that that even cruising was a reality or that there was some reason for those incredibly beautiful men and the bars and meeting places; sacred areas like Sheridan Square, where Stonewall happened; bookstores even started selling
wrestling mags and football videos. Cops, curfews, arrests for petty crimes–the 1997 Anti-violence Project (humane as that sounds)
resulted in outrageous arrests of gay men who were hurting no one. There way were over 100 gay bashings in 97-98 reported. Nothing done All odf the Zoning for gay bars etc. were in inaccessable places.
This was all justified on false pretexts–the real point was the virtual disappearance that sexuality existed-a notable Catholic sentiment.
There is no gay space.the consequence has been the nearly complete OBLITERATION of a visable culture of SAFER SEX.
Guiliani, couldn’t be more harmful than he has been, That’s not even long ago.
seitan-on-a-stick
The New York Times (which still is the most influential newspaper in the country) just put a fork in General Ghoul-i-ani’s campaign as he is done!
Excerpt from Today’s NY Endorsement Editorial:
“The real Mr. Giuliani, whom many New Yorkers came to know and mistrust, is a narrow, obsessively secretive, vindictive man who saw no need to limit police power. Racial polarization was as much a legacy of his tenure as the rebirth of Times Square.
Mr. Giuliani’s arrogance and bad judgment are breathtaking. When he claims fiscal prudence, we remember how he ran through surpluses without a thought to the inevitable downturn and bequeathed huge deficits to his successor. He fired Police Commissioner William Bratton, the architect of the drop in crime, because he couldn’t share the limelight. He later gave the job to Bernard Kerik, who has now been indicted on fraud and corruption charges.
The Rudolph Giuliani of 2008 first shamelessly turned the horror of 9/11 into a lucrative business, with a secret client list, then exploited his city’s and the country’s nightmare to promote his presidential campaign.”
NYTimes Editorial 1/25/08
The anti-gay, virulently racist Mayor of Amerikkka is the most Hitler-esque of all the GOP candidates obsessed with military excess and personal vengeance who’s legacy is the Disneyfication of Times Square: BIG DEAL! I thought the Gay Endorsement would have been Senator Larry Craig who should give the GOP commencement address at the next GOP Convention(just for our own amusement.)
ProfessorVP
Why should any gay person have a problem with gay endorsements for Rudy, or for that matter, the famous pic of him in drag? Sometimes nostalgia speaks to truth. He doesn’t want to know us now, but he sure did then. The more LBGT endorsements the better. Not that Rudy’s candidacy is still alive, mind you.
And speaking of severed friendships, expect this flyer to keep making the rounds. I chose this link to the Neanderthal Worldnetdaily site to show what will make Mitt shitt…
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=57786
seitan-on-a-stick
I dressed in drag to endorse himself and then outlawed himself. IMPLOSION!
seitan-on-a-stick
CORRECTION: HE (as in Giuliani) dressed in drag to endorse himself and then outlawed himself. IMPLOSION!
seitan-on-a-stick
Okay, I killed the joke. What would “Gay As Life” say? Oh, the babbling brook of Seitan has boiled over. Off with his “gay head” as I’m the “queen of Blogs” Me, “Gay as Life!” Really, is life that Gay in New York anymore?
SoHornyBeaver
GHOUL-IANI! GHOUL-IANI GHOUL-IANI!
UP THE ASS IN 2009!
(Apologies to the gay community)
Dame Daxx
I have problems with gay groups endorsing political candidates solely on the basis of their view on gay rights. Here in New York at the last state elections, the Empire State Pride Agenda endorsed incumbent State Senator Ada Smith of Queens. Their endorsement was because Ada nswered their questionnaire 100% correctly.
Never mind that Senator Smith was completely barking mad, physically assaulted her staff and was a total embarrassment to the Democratic Party and the borough of Queens.
Despite ESPA’s endorsement, thankfully Senator Smith was defeated in the Democratic primary, and Michele Titus went on the win the seat for the Democrats.
M Shane Walsh
While I don’t vote for candidates solely on the basis of thier gay platform, the fact that they have fully demonstrated a cold hearted disregard for any compassionate human values such as retaining the authenticity of places over property contracts precludes them from that category of people who I would consider. ( Besides:That he carries the Bush legacy is enough for anyone to lose their stomachs.)
I assure you, if anyone doesn’t recognise the import of his purposefully putting it #1 on his destructive agenda to undermine gay culture, in our capital they have missed the boat relative to understanding the real meaning of an “imposed public gay closet.”(my words).
they inhabit a lonely universe. (That’s for people who don’t like closets and belive that we need a public sphere.)
M Shane Walsh
I had the opportunity to talk to a 20 year old, just recently, in some detail about his coming out in New York, since it was purged by Giuliani, and I couldn’t believe how provincial and lacking in any sense of community it was for young queers who wanted to to find love and gay friendship. It’s maybe better than living in Pocatello or Lone Tree but not a lot. This could, in caring comnpetent hands been a school for safe sex and healthy community.
Now there aren’t even proper ghettos- like for the jews in old Europe. Sad!
Dame Daxx
It’s not all Giuliani. Real estate development of the far west side of Manhattan has ballooned in the last 10 years. This has resulted in many of the iconic gay clubs like Roxy losing their leases to condominium developers.
On top of that, we now have Christine Quinn as Speaker of the City Council. Christine is our first gay speaker, which is fantastic. However, she also wants to be our next Mayor, and she doesn’t want club-related crime in her own council district of Chelsea to undermine her chances. Speaker Quinn has been front and center in the harassment of gay bars and clubs for any signs of underage drinking. This has gone too far in my opinion. For instance, in many gay bars here you not only have to show ID when you enter, but they take and keep a photocopy of your ID. I can see this as very intimidating for anyone who is not quite out about their sexuality.
Toot LeMonde
In point of fact, Rudy was decent on gay issues when mayor, he had gay appointees, supported civil unions in the city (domestic partnership registration here), etc. etc.
He is not singlehandedly responsible for the gentrification of the city and the destruction of its creative spirit. Part of that was the inevitable result of cleaning up the city from crime, which made it more appealing to the boring middle and upper classes. I blame Bloomberg more because the destruction of middle and working class housing became much more apparent under his administration and he has ignored that problem. Rudy’s job was to clean up the city, Bloomberg’s was to make sure that didn’t result in driving out middle class and working people. Bloomberg really failed.
Now, Rudy was terrible in other ways. He was vindictive, petty, and made really bad judgments about appointments (Kerik for instance) and then really really bad judgments (placing the command center in the World Trade Center against expert advice.) He did a decent job as mayor, esp. in his first term, was decent toward gays then, and was a real leader on 9/11, but he lacks the overall judgment and personality to be president, period.
He is not going to get the nomination any way.
yalesing
In point of fact, Rudy was decent on gay issues when mayor, he had gay appointees, supported civil unions in the city (domestic partnership registration here), etc.
He is not singlehandedly responsible for the gentrification of the city and the destruction of its creative spirit.
as a gay. i support him,i and my gay partner meet on gaysinglehunt.com all his proponent